


Feathers and Scales

by Zei_Legato



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol in the 6th fic, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Old Ladies Dealing With New Feelings, Romance, cleans up the dust in here, i really forgot to add this tag wtf, maybe lmao we'll see, they're my comfort ship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2020-06-09 13:08:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19476562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zei_Legato/pseuds/Zei_Legato
Summary: A compilation of my AtheMedu oneshots.





	1. Night Owl

**Author's Note:**

> i'd been hesitating to start this for a long time and then my brain just went screw it it's free real estate so now here yall go!!! hope yall enjoy!!!!!

There’s something about the night breeze that she likes. Maybe it’s a change from all the scorching hot flames that surround her in the battlefield, or maybe it just gives her some sense of peace and quiet. What she knows, is the comfort she feels as Glafkos flies freely in the sky, bathing in the sea of stars with nothing to report to her. This is her favorite form of relaxation; even after a long, busy day with the crew, she always tries to make time for a quick walk. The Grandcypher just happened to land close to a forest, and she’d been looking forward to a chance to spend a little time in it ever since.

Another breeze comes by, and she stops in her tracks. Her eyelids close as she welcomes the coldness of the night on her skin, the wind whispering kind words into her ears. Leaves are rustling above her, chatting amongst themselves while framing the sky full of stars for her. Nature is truly fascinating, she thinks—how generously it rewards the skydwellers with its beauty in times of peace. And that is exactly why she desires to protect this feeling. A smile forms on her lips, violet eyes staring forward as she takes another step deeper into the woods.

“There you are!” an all-too-familiar voice greets her from behind. She halts her step midway and turns around on her heel to find the owner of the voice descending from the sky, riding on a giant serpent, “Geez, it’s _freezing_!”

“Why are you out here, then?” Athena tilts her head slightly, “You should go back to the ship.”

Medusa peeks from above Medusiana, her silver hair flowing in the wind. A frown adorns her face because of the question thrown at her, “Well, why are _you_ all the way out here?”

“I like going out for a night stroll,” Athena says, the smile from before returning to her lips when Medusa hops down from the back of her beloved snake, “It’s peaceful.”

There’s hardly any light from above, as the moon is being shrouded by a particularly large cloud at the moment, but Medusa’s eyes almost seem to be glowing in the shadows. They’re even nicer to look at in the dark, she notes, shrugging off the slightly irritated gaze the smaller woman is giving her. A huff from Medusa stops her train of thoughts, followed by a response, “You coulda at least told Djeeta about it. She was looking for you and got super worried when you weren’t there, so she asked me if I could find you with Medusiana’s help.”

“Was she?” Athena’s eyebrows shoot up immediately at the mention of their captain, “I believe I’ve told her before...?”

Medusa flinches, thankful of the darkness because it keeps her gestures hidden from Athena. However, the feeling of Medusiana staring disapprovingly from behind is in no way helping her. A lump then begins to form in her throat, but instead of swallowing it, she subtly coughs it away, “W-well, you know! She probably forgot about it! That sorta thing happens with these mortals!”

Athena lets out a hum, bringing a finger to her chin while throwing Medusa’s (exceptionally awful) excuse back and forth in her head. Not too long after, she nods to herself and calls out to Glafkos, extending her arm for the bird to land on. She ruffles the owl’s feather, earning a soft hoot in return, “I’m going back, then. I shouldn’t make her worry now, should I?”

 _Wow, it worked_.

“Y-yeah, let’s go!” Medusa motions for Athena to follow her as she swiftly turns around.

“Hm? Aren’t you cold, Medusa?” Athena asks, voice slightly concerned, “You’ve been stuttering too. It’s best if you go back earlier with Medusiana.”

 _Ah, I hate this_.

“Djeeta told me to come back with _you_ ,” Medusa says, rubbing her palm on her upper arm for some warmth as she looks at Medusiana (who, by now, kind of agrees with Athena’s idea of taking Medusa back to the ship immediately).

The silence that comes after doesn’t last too long, because Medusa catches the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Warmth begins to creep up her back, then her side, and when she shifts her gaze to look at the source of warmth, she finds Athena offering a hand to her.

“Then in that case, I’ll keep you warm on the way back,” the fire primal says with a small smile.

 _I hate this_.

“Wh-what for?” Medusa blinks rapidly, feeling the heat going too far up her face for her liking, “We don’t get sick because of this, you know that! I can just endure this thing.”

Athena’s brows furrow and she shakes her head in disapproval, “I don’t like knowing that you’re suffering when I can do something about it.”

 _I really, really hate this_.

“You... ugh, fine,” Medusa looks ahead into the darkness of the forest and takes Athena’s hand in a swift motion, flinching slightly at how fast the warmth spreads throughout her entire body. She’s never really paid attention to how gentle Athena actually is with physical contact, so it surprises her a little when she feels fingers wrapped around her hand with a squeeze just enough to make her feel comfortable.

It’s an odd sensation; even odder when she absentmindedly returns the squeeze.

“When you’re not worried about the cold,” Athena pauses as she scoots a bit closer, voice barely above a whisper in hopes of not disturbing the inhabitants of the forest, “You’ll understand why I love walking outside at night.”

“Oh, what’s this?” Medusa grins as she looks up to the taller woman, “Now _you’re_ gonna show me the things you like, huh?”

“I suppose you could take it that way,” Athena says as they begin making their way back to the airship, with Medusiana following behind them.

_I hate what she’s doing to me—_

_—and I hate that I’m okay about it._

“Alright, entertain me then,” Medusa replies with a pleased smile, slowly swinging their joined hands back and forth in delight.


	2. Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t... you joke with me, Athena.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooggghhhh the GREASE IN THIS ONE.

“This looks so pretty,” Medusa talks to herself, humming as she tries on the hair accessory that’s caught her interest in a store, “I should get a matching ribbon that goes with this for Medusiana!”

She has personally requested the crew to drop by this particular island for a break, and of course, her idea of a break is a shopping spree. Luck was on her side since nobody opposed to the request because apparently they needed to stock up on things anyway. Djeeta left her with the task of buying snacks, knowing just how picky she is but the captain knows she always picks the best for the crew’s sake. And there’s also the fact that Medusa’s usually the one who devours the snacks in record time when she’s not quite in a good mood but that’s not the point, really. At least she doesn’t want to think that it’s the main point.

The petite primal effortlessly hops her way around the slightly crowded store, picking out a purple ribbon that matches the yellow one she’s gotten earlier from the display as she makes her way to the cashier. She then leaves the store with new accessories on one hand and bags full of snacks on the other, humming a happy tune she just thought of and excitement begins to bubble in her chest at the idea of having Medusiana listen to this new sound. It’s been such a good day, clear weather and all, and it surely boosts her mood especially after all the trouble Djeeta went through to slip her some extra allowance (Katalina has watchful eyes— _way_ too watchful) to get whatever she wants. And thus she made sure to grab two boxes of Djeeta’s favorite cookies.

Her eyes light up at the sight of an empty bench right under a tree’s shades. It would definitely be a waste to go straight back to the airship without enjoying some more of what the island can offer, so she takes a seat and stretches her limbs forward. She’s been walking around for a while, and as much fun as it is to do window shopping while looking at the skydwellers’ shenanigans, being able to sit down under the shadows after all that time in the sun makes her feel like her skin is breathing out a sigh of relief. Due to her height, her legs don’t reach the ground, so she can swing them back and forth to keep them from being too stiff since the port is still ways ahead. It’s extremely relaxing, and she does appreciate this sort of silence every once in a while.

Then something else catches her attention.

“Hmm?” Medusa squints, spotting a familiar figure speaking to a merchant in the distance— _too_ familiar because there’s no way she’d ever mistake that long swirly blonde hair, “... Athena?”

She squints harder, her eyelids almost closing as she tries to see what the tall woman is buying from the merchant.

_Flowers?_

“Huh...” Medusa leans back on her seat, still keeping her eyes on Athena, “Is she in charge of decorations or something?”

And as if on cue, Athena looks over her shoulder, expressionless gaze meeting Medusa’s surprised one—she should’ve expected it, actually, they _are_ primals with extraordinary senses, after all. What’s done is done, Medusa thinks, and she lifts up her hand in a weak waving motion. However it irks her a bit that Athena doesn’t return the wave, or even bat an eyelash at the greeting attempt, and instead turns back again to speak with the merchant.

“Gee, so much for wanting to be friends, I guess,” Medusa huffs as she crosses her arms in front of her chest.

But for some odd reason, her breath hitches a little when Athena fully turns to face her with a small bouquet in one hand and a whole basket of colorful flowers in the other. The blonde slowly makes her way towards Medusa, and if anything it kind of looks intimidating, especially with how Athena hardly gets that frown off her face. It helps Medusa keep the pout on her lips, despite the relief knowing that Athena isn’t _ignoring_ her outright and despite how the white dress Athena’s donned makes her look particularly stunning under the sunlight.

 _At least she knows how to dress up casually_.

“Hey you,” Medusa says, arms still crossed, “I’d appreciate it if you could, you know, wave back or at least smile if you saw me.”

“But I smiled...?” Athena’s eyebrows furrow at the statement, “I’m sorry, I think you didn’t see it. And my hands were full.”

_Oh, right. She’s like this._

“Geez, whatever... apology accepted, I guess,” Medusa looks away in embarrassment and moves the bag of snacks to the other end of the bench to leave an empty spot. Once she’s set them down, she pats the space beside her with both of her hands, “Here, here.”

Athena complies, placing the basket of flowers down near her feet and sets the bouquet down on her lap. It’s an assortment of roses in various colors. Medusa doesn’t think too hard of it, since even though she does enjoy looking at flowers, she doesn’t know much about them. What she knows, at least, is that roses are usually meant to be presents first and foremost.

“So,” Medusa starts up the conversation because she knows _nothing_ would really happen if she expected Athena to speak first, “I didn’t know you had a knack for decorating.”

“Oh these,” Athena looks at the basket, “Rosetta gave me a list of flowers to buy. I just happened to understand a little about plants so I could tell if these flowers were still fresh or not.”

“Aw, that’s it?” Medusa sighs, “I thought I could consult you about how I can make my room look even cuter but I guess not.”

“I... can still help if you want,” Athena speaks in a quieter voice.

“I was just kidding, silly. But maybe I’ll take you up on the offer someday,” Medusa swings her legs to and fro a little harder as she continues, “Then what’s up with the bouquet?”

“I’m not sure,” Athena gently places her hand on the wrapper, gazing curiously into the colorful petals, “The merchant just gave it to me for free.”

“Whoa, lucky!” Medusa’s eyes widen, “Though that’s to be expected, I guess? I mean you’re super pretty, so—”

_Wait._

Medusa quickly slaps her palm on her mouth to stop it from saying anything further that can cause any more embarrassment than necessary. She braves herself to look to her side, somehow seeking for some sort of reaction from the other woman. And true enough, it’s Athena’s turn to look surprised—it’s subtle, just like the rest of her expressions, but it’s _visible_. Medusa feels like she’s beginning to see things because her feelings are trying to break free, but she secretly hopes that she’s not imagining the pink tint on Athena’s cheeks. It still doesn’t stop her from wanting to shrivel on the spot, though. Now they’ve both fallen silent because one is not very good with conversations and the other is throwing a myriad of explanations in her head.

Then again Medusa also wonders why she needs to explain herself, because it’s a normal thing between friends to just... compliment each other. It’s her _heart_ that’s telling her to explain, and she follows her heart best.

“Y-you know! Florists like to give extra stuff for... pretty people... I’m sure... I think, yeah! Something like that!” Medusa shifts her gaze from one rose to the other, way too aware of how Athena is brushing her fingers against the petals of one of the roses.

Whether that’s really accurate or not, Medusa knows Athena trusts her for facts regarding the skydwellers, and that knowledge alone gives her enough confidence to look at Athena dead in the eye.

And all that confidence goes down the drain when Athena faces her way and the bouquet is then slowly handed over to her.

_Oooooh no._

“... Wh-what...?” Medusa stutters as she looks back and forth between the flowers and Athena’s violet eyes, “What are you... doing?”

How Athena can maintain eye contact with Medusa is a wonder, because the blush on those cheeks (Medusa definitely isn’t imagining it this time) isn’t lying at all despite her best attempts on trying to put on her usual serious face, “Thank you for the compliment, but... you can have this. I don’t know what to do with it.”

“Wh-whoa, listen, it’s some kind of compliment for _you_ , so _you_ gotta accept it! Don’t... don’t just throw it away by giving it to someone else so suddenly!” Medusa puts her hands in front of her defensively as she turns her head away, “A-at least take it back with you or something first before disposing of it!”

“But I’m not throwing it away,” Athena looks at the roses, eyes seemingly lost in thought, “I just think you deserve it.”

Medusa feels as if the shadows just stopped protecting her face from the sunlight because it’s getting _way_ too warm, “Don’t... you joke with me, Athena.”

“I’m not joking,” Athena softens her voice, “Because I do think you’re beautiful.”

 _She did_ not _just say that._

To her chagrin, Athena did. In the sweetest voice possible, even, and it’s drilling into her heart far too slow for comfort especially due to her heartbeat going way out of control by now. In all honesty, she really, really can never tell what’s going on in that pretty head of Athena’s. Not until the taller woman says it at least, but still, at times like these, where she spontaneously acts in a way that does things to her heart, Medusa just feels as if her whole being is giving up and crumbling on her all at once.

“I felt genuinely happy when I received this. And I think what matters is that I’ve experienced it,” Athena smiles as she brings the bouquet closer to the smaller woman, “So I’d like it if you could feel it too. It’s wonderful.”

_... It sure is, I bet._

“... Good grief, I swear... I _swear_ I’m not gonna live long with you around me,” Medusa quickly snatches the flowers and hides her face behind the neatly-wrapped bundle, even though it proves to be a futile attempt since the bouquet hardly covers a third of her face. But it does smell nice, and it helps her calm herself down.

“Ah... should I go, then?” Athena reaches down for the basket of flowers, but one of Medusa’s snakes springs up to life and loosely wraps itself around her arm, effectively stopping her movements.

“... I was just kidding, silly,” Medusa mumbles, her snake’s grip on Athena’s arm growing slightly tighter.

_Even if that’s true,_

_I know I’d still choose to have you around._


	3. The Sunset, and You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I love the sunset.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got this idea from a dumb tweet i made where i was trying to figure out the color of medusa's eyes. please enjoy.

The Grandcypher crew had received yet another request from Sierokarte. This time it was to fetch goods from an island that had no means of exporting to another island because the airship normally used for transporting goods had several unknown problems with the engine and it had caused a delay in shipment for almost a week. She’d requested the crew because of Rackam and Eugen, hoping that the men would also be willing to repair the airship—which they would, gladly, even. The townsfolk welcomed them with hospitality, letting them stay for as long as they needed to repair the airship since most of the townsfolk made a living from trading.

When Djeeta told those who weren’t helping with the repairs to take it easy and relax while they wait, a certain fire primal found herself wandering into a small forest right by the outskirts of the town they were in. The current hustle and bustle of the town didn’t quite suit her, because she knew absolutely nothing about airship repairs and she was in no way capable of helping. There were a lot of floras she’d never seen in the other islands they’d visited, and the crates full of herbs (still being kept fresh and alive using a spell) lying around near the port made so much more sense now.

“It’s almost time,” Athena whispered, and she rushed forward as she kept her eyes on the surroundings, wondering if she could find just the perfect spot.

A large tree in the middle of a clearing not too far away caught her attention—if there was a bigger tree around here, she could at least find it from the top of the large tree. With that thought in mind, she slowed her pace as she came closer to the clearing, in case she happened to come across animals, or even a fellow crew member just spending their time there. Looking around and finding nothing else that might interest her, she approached the tree, standing tall and strong despite being approximately a hundred years old from how it looked.

A familiar hoot from above gave her a small surprise. She stopped and shifted her gaze to one of the tree’s branches, only to be met with a pair of eyes she’d known her entire life. One corner of her lips lifted up to form a smile as she softly greeted her companion, “Hello, Glafkos. Can you see the sun clearly from there?”

The owl gave her another hoot as an answer, now sitting on the branch and busied himself with the task of cleaning his feathers. Glafkos would usually stay on alert whenever Athena took her time to view the sunset, and the fact that the bird had settled on a tree, waiting for her, meant that there was nothing to worry about on this island. Athena then made a long leap and easily reached the massive branch Glafkos was on, giving the bird a pat on the head as she sat down right next to him.

Sky had turned orange, with the darkness of the night looming in the horizon where the sunlight could no longer reach. What little was left of the clouds framed the weakening shine of the ball of fire, which seemed far bigger than it did when she viewed the sunset in other islands. Fair enough, since this island was an island on the far west of the Phantagrande Skydom. Orange hue gradually turned into red as the sun descended further.

 _What I wouldn’t give for this moment to last forever_.

“Well, look who we have here,” a chirpy voice resounded from quite a distance behind her, and Athena looked over her shoulder.

“Medusa,” Athena called out, eyebrows rising at the sight of said woman riding on the back of her pet snake, “You’re... here?”

“Uh-huh,” Medusa kept her gaze on Athena as Medusiana moved closer to the branch, “What are you guys doing all the way up here?”

“We’re just...” Athena turned back to look at the setting sun, “... watching the sunset. What about you two?”

“Never knew you were into this kind of thing but at the same time it’s so you,” Medusa chuckled, “Me, I’m taking Medusiana out on a walk. The forest looks super nice from above.”

“A walk,” Athena looked over to the two.

_Medusiana is floating._

“... You get what I mean,” Medusa groaned and rolled her eyes, “ _A tour_ , whatever!”

Athena hummed in response, smiling all the while as she returned her attention back to the sunset ahead. Silence began to settle between them—a comfortable one, Athena noted. She could catch Medusa playfully dancing her fingers on the top of Medusiana’s head from her peripheral vision. At the sight, Athena tapped the top of Glafkos’ head with her fingers in a set rhythm and Glafkos would let out a short hoot every two taps, just like how she used to play with the bird a long time ago.

“Kinda thought it was lame, but this is actually pretty nice,” Medusa commented, lips curved up in a grin, “You do this every day?”

“When I have the chance, yes,” Athena nodded, “I love the sunset.”

“Why?” Medusa prodded further, keeping the conversation flowing as she knew Athena only responded when it was necessary.

“It reminds me of your eyes,” Athena turned to meet Medusa’s gaze in the middle of her sentence.

To say that Medusa was surprised was an understatement. The silver-haired primal took only a fleeting second to process the answer and it almost knocked her off Medusiana’s back, causing her to yelp and quickly lean forward—practically hugging her pet to keep her balance. Her hands were trembling, whether from the unnaturally fast pace her heart was beating or from the sheer strength she was using to keep herself from falling over, she couldn’t really care less. She couldn’t possibly let Athena see the redness on her face, so she buried her face into Medusiana’s back.

“Are you okay?” Athena voiced out her concern, brows pressed together in a frown.

“ _NO_???” Medusa shouted, her face still hot but she felt the need to _respond_ , “That was _not_ funny, you silly owl!”

“Of... course it wasn’t?” Athena said, her worry turning into confusion, “It was a serious answer.”

“That’s even worse, for god’s sake,” Medusa mumbled under her breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“What’s that?” Athena asked as she scooted closer.

“F-flattery...” Medusa slowly returned to her sitting position, still attempting to hide her blush with the back of her hand, “... flattery won’t get you anywhere, I said.”

“Oh,” Athena blinked rapidly, “I was just answering your question, though.”

_Why is she upset?_

“Alright, alright, whatever you say,” Medusa waved her hand as a sign to drop the topic, “Anyway, you know what? Hop on.”

“Um...?” Athena gave her yet another questioning look as she pointed a finger to Medusiana’s back.

“Yeah, here,” Medusa patted the spot behind her.

“Is it really okay?” Athena asked, eyes curious but at the same time, full of hope.

“Would I ask you if it wasn’t? Come on,” Medusa stared ahead, twirling a few strands of her hair on her finger, “You’re warm, so Medusiana’s happy to let you ride on her back.”

_Warm..._

“... Thank you, but why?” it was Athena’s turn to ask the question, head tilted to the side.

“Athena, seriously!” Medusa sighed and patted the empty spot behind her again, “Just get on before I change my mind. Medusiana’s asking me to.”

With a nod of her head, Athena went up from her sitting position, reaching up to the spot Medusa had patted earlier with an unsure hand. The hide was rough, just as she’d expected. But rough as it was, she was also curious about how it would feel to ride on the serpent’s back. She lifted herself up and settled with sitting sideways, motioning for Glafkos to sit on her shoulder. Glafkos hesitated for a moment, but his wings began to flutter when Athena extended her arm out to reassure her partner that it would be okay, and he made himself comfortable on Athena’s shoulder soon enough.

“Comfy?” Medusa checked over her shoulder, and grinned after seeing the affirmative nod Athena gave her, “Good! Let’s go, Medusiana.”

Medusiana began to shift slowly, gliding over the small forest (almost as if to show her new friends that Medusa wasn’t lying about how beautiful the forest looked from above) before gradually gaining altitude. They could now see the town in the distance, shrinking in size as they kept going higher. As the clouds were getting closer and closer, Athena saw Glafkos turning his head here and there, smiling when she realized that the bird never flew this high when he wasn’t going on a patrol; an experience he could finally enjoy.

“This is good enough,” Medusa patted Medusiana’s head, making her come to a stop and turn a bit so that Athena could get a proper look of what Medusa was trying to show her.

_This is..._

“... Beautiful,” Athena commented, eyes fixated on the sunset, now slightly below them. But not only that, they could see most of the island, albeit obscured a little by the clouds—which, in all honesty, added more to the ethereal atmosphere. The color orange had grown deeper, surrounding them in a welcoming embrace as they took in the sight before them.

“Riiiight?” Medusa proudly chuckled, swinging her leg over Medusiana’s back so she could sit sideways, “Take it as a thanks.”

“For...?” Athena looked to her side. For a moment, she was mesmerized by the way Medusa’s long hair flowed in the wind.

“For liking my eyes enough to compare them to the sunset,” Medusa paused, furrowing her eyebrows, “I can _hurt_ people with these eyes, you know.”

_And I sure have experienced that pain._

“I know,” Athena smiled, bringing her hand up to brush Medusa’s bangs to the side in order to get a proper look, “That doesn’t make them any less beautiful.”

“Oh, shut _up_!” Medusa scrunched her nose and gently pushed the red-armored hand away, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink as the sound of Athena’s chuckle rang in her ears, “Don’t expect me to reward you with more things.”

“I don’t,” Athena murmured, “I just wanted to let you know.”

“You didn’t do much but point out the obvious,” Medusa turned her head to the side to look at the blonde, sticking her tongue out, “I’ve always known I’m beautiful.”

“That’s good, then,” Athena nodded.

Medusa let out a huff, keeping her eyes on Athena’s for a few seconds too long before deciding to scoot closer to her until her shoulder bumped against Athena’s upper arm. She caught a glimpse of a blush on Athena’s cheeks (illuminated by the sunset, no less), but kept it to herself, as it was a sight she’d like to remember despite how quickly it happened. She wondered if Athena knew that she also had beautiful eyes, being Medusa’s favorite shade of purple and all. She wondered if Athena knew she herself reminded Medusa of the sunset, with her red armor and golden hair. But Medusa kept it all to herself—only she knew of those facts. Perhaps one day, when she could finally let her feelings free... when she’d gotten enough courage, she could let Athena know, too.

“Hey, let’s make this a thing,” Medusa said as she nudged Athena’s elbow, her voice uncharacteristically quiet, “When you have the chance, of course. It’s gonna be lame if I do it alone.”

“You don’t mind?” Athena raised an eyebrow.

“Nope! Medusiana likes having you on her back, right Medusiana?” Medusa laughed at the sight of Medusiana’s wagging tail below them, “This is pretty nice when you got someone to do it with.”

_It is._

_Especially if it’s you._

“Okay, let’s do this again whenever we’re both available,” Athena subtly bumped her elbow against Medusa’s upper arm. Nodding in approval, Medusa began to hum a faint tune, her head swaying from side to side. She would pause every now and then and point at clouds that looked funny. At one point, she pointed at a round cloud and told Glafkos that it reminded her of the bird, a statement to which Glafkos hooted lowly in response, somewhat a little offended.

... _What I wouldn’t give for this moment to last forever_.


	4. Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I got you this gold fabric.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all thanks to my dorter zoah for giving me the main idea of this entire thing i love u bb!! second of all i was loosely basing athena's hobbies off the greek mythology (i think of them as her side hobbies since she officially already has one sjdhkjd again it's free real estate). and lastly i was going thru it when i wrote this so like...yee yee. anyway please enjoy!!

It’s maintenance day for Grandcypher. The crew has landed on a wide field of grass, not too far away from a small village in a barely inhabited island. Some of the members opt to stay inside the ship while occasionally helping the ones who are doing the maintenance, and some have chosen to visit the village either for stocking up on daily needs or sightseeing. Everyone is free to split up to attend to their own business, since the monsters in the vicinity prove to be harmless, as they only come close to the airship out of curiosity and scamper away when anyone approaches them.

Athena is one of those who’ve opted to stay inside the ship, sitting on the windowsill as she lets air inside her room. It’s not often they decide to land on an island with most of its inhabitants being monsters, but the fact that these monsters mean no harm shows that the villagers live alongside the creatures, and it eases her cautious mind. Thus she tells herself that it’s okay to take the day off from her usual patrolling.

_The weather’s so nice, too._

A set of knocks brings her attention towards the door, and she waits for a follow-up before allowing entrance. Not long after the knocks have quieted down, a muffled voice comes from the other side of the door, “Heeey it’s Djeeta! Time for a check-up!”

“Come in,” Athena responds, watching the wooden door creak open as a blonde head pops up from behind it. The captain is beaming, and Athena greets her with a small smile and a nod.

“Anything here needs fixing, Athena?” Djeeta holds the door open behind her, signalling that she’s not going to be in the room for long.

With a shake of her head, Athena answers, “Nothing in particular, no.”

“Fine and dandy, then?” Djeeta grins in satisfaction.

Athena nods in affirmation, “Yes. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

“Okay cool, thank you!” Djeeta raises both of her thumbs up as she retreats to the doorway, back to peeking from behind the door, “Have a great day!”

“You too,” Athena smiles and returns the wave Djeeta is giving her as the door closes.

Once she hears the footsteps outside of her room decreasing in volume and finally disappearing, Athena turns her head back to look outside. She lets out a sigh when a breeze comes by, feeling it brush against her entire being. Knowing the crew, peace isn’t something that lasts long, and she knows they’ll have to return to the battlefield soon—or at the very least, be ready for when the storm comes anytime. With that thought always in mind, she’s come to savor whatever time she has to herself and relax.

_Well then, shall we?_

She steps down from the windowsill and reaches to the drawer of her bedside table nearby. It contains her knitting and sewing tools—hobbies she’s picked up ever since she joined the crew. Originally, she used to weave on her spare time, but now that she’s with the crew, travelling from one place to another with a limited space in her private room, she turns to knitting and sewing. She hasn’t really made anything extravagant yet, but she’s rather confident with her skills. The most memorable ones being the bedding she’s knitted for Glafkos (which the owl appreciates very much) and small charms she’s sewn for everyone’s Christmas presents. Only a few crew members know of her hobbies, though. Some found out because she asked for tips, and the rest figured out through connecting the dots from the charms they got.

She returns to sitting on the windowsill, knitting pins on each hand as she continues to work on the half-done scarf Lyria’s requested the other day. The color of the scarf matches the color of Lyria’s eyes—a soft blue. Lyria didn’t exactly specify the color she wanted since all she said was that she wanted to try on Athena’s handmade scarf after seeing Glafkos sleeping soundly on his bedding, so Athena improvised. It’s been looking very much like what she’s pictured in her head, and that alone is enough to keep her going.

_It’ll go so well with Lyria’s smile._

Several minutes of silence and wind blowing past, her ears pick up the sound of frantic footsteps approaching her room from the hallway. Along with the last thump on the wooden floor comes a stream of knocks on her door, much faster and louder than the ones that came earlier. She pauses and glances up from her work, expecting a voice to call from outside. But nothing else comes other than the slow creaking of the door opening right before her eyes.

_Oh, it’s her._

“Hello, Medusa,” Athena says, head tilted just enough to see Medusa flinching in surprise in the doorway—well, her _massive_ hair, at least.

“Aw, how did you know it was me?” Medusa grumbles, now hopping inside the room with a shopping bag in one of her hands.

“You’re the only one who dares to open the door before I allowed you to,” Athena shakes her head with a sheepish smile as she busies herself with looping the blue yarn in her hands.

“Didn’t forget to knock, though?” Medusa grins proudly.

“Yes, good job,” Athena mumbles, still focused on her work. She hears the taps of Medusa’s foot on the wooden floor, seemingly eager about something. Then she begins to notice a pair of curious eyes watching her, so she decides to set the scarf aside after deciding the ideal part to stop at. Medusa knows well of this hobby of hers and despite knowing that Athena likes to do it all by herself, sometimes she comes over to watch (Athena lets her be—it’s pleasing). This time Medusa has something else to do, though, and she’s not exactly doing very well with hiding it. Placing the scarf and pins on her lap, Athena shifts her gaze towards Medusa, who’s twirling a few strands of her silver around her finger—playing indifferent, “So what have we here?”

“Heh, glad you asked!” Medusa’s eyes light up and she sets her shopping bag on Athena’s bed, rummaging through whatever trinkets are inside and pulls out a nightgown made of silk, displaying it for Athena to see, “What do you think? I got it for a super low price and it’s so comfortable to wear!”

Eyeing the piece of clothing with a finger on her chin, Athena can see how the purple fabric reflects the light from outside. There are small ribbons at the end of each sleeve, making up for the lack of decoration on the collar. The gown reaches all the way down below Medusa’s knees, stopping just right above her heels. It makes a great choice for winter wear, now that she remembers it’s coming up soon. She looks back up to meet Medusa’s expectant gaze and gives her a smile, “Cute.”

“Right? I knew you could appreciate it best!” Medusa chirps as she twirls around, the skirt of her new nightgown swaying in the air.

_Yes, the gown is also cute._

“And that’s not all,” Medusa raises a finger, shuffling back to fold the gown neatly and places it on the bed before she starts reaching into her bag once again. Athena curiously peeks to the side because Medusa takes a little longer to take whatever it is out of the bag, and immediately returns to her relaxed position when the silver-haired woman turns around with a folded golden fabric in her hands. When Medusa puts her hands out closer to her, she doesn’t think much of it other than Medusa asking for her opinion—until she hears what Medusa says next: “I got you this gold fabric.”

Blinking rapidly as she processes Medusa’s statement, Athena points to herself in disbelief, “For me...?”

“For you,” Medusa nods eagerly, handing the folded fabric over to Athena as the latter examines the material in awe, “I kinda thought it’d be a nice change of pace because I’ve never seen you use something like this.”

It’s extremely soft in her hands, Athena notes. Almost seems like it’s not shining, but _glowing_ under the light that’s passed through the window. She marvels at the sight, still in disbelief that such a thing of beauty is within her grasp, yet at the same time she truly feels as if it could just phase through her hands at the sheer delicateness of it. A few more seconds of silence, Athena raises her head up to face Medusa, her widened eyes resembling those of an amazed child's, “Thank you.”

Medusa lets out an amused sigh (Athena watches the smattering of pretty pink hue on her cheeks), feeling slight relief as her fingers run down the length of her long hair, “Well if you’re really thankful, better impress me with whatever you’re gonna use it for.”

“I already know what to make,” Athena thinks out loud as she traces her index finger on the soft fabric, creating an outline of her idea.

“Really?” Medusa genuinely seems surprised, both her eyebrows rising up. However, it only lasts for a quick second and she coughs into the back of her hand as she regains her composure, “I-I mean, sure, I’m looking forward to it.”

Without uttering a single word, Athena nods. There’s a subtle smile on her lips as the idea begins to clearly form within her mind when she retraces the shapes she’s visualized.

_I’ll give it my all._

* * *

Grandcypher’s engine hums lowly, its sound being carried by the gentle wind endlessly streaming into one of the bedrooms within the ship. Inhabitants of the room, a petite woman and a sleeping giant serpent, love to let as much air as possible inside because it’s reminiscent of the days when there was only the two of them navigating through the vast skies. Medusa knows Medusiana also enjoys traveling in the sky like they used to—they still do it, although not very far as to stay within the crew’s reach—but being able to see her lifetime companion being able to sleep soundly like this when the wind still blows oh-so-kindly against their figures always brings a sense of calmness to her heart; so calm she’s tempted to just drift to sleep to join Medusiana in the dreamland.

Then the silence is broken by the sounds of knocking on her door. She takes light steps towards the door, trying her best not to wake Medusiana up while putting on her best face and then opening the door very, very slowly so she can peek through the gap to see her guest. Red is all she sees; red, with yellow streaks.

“Oh hey, this is a first,” Medusa opens the door fully, leaning against the doorway as she shakes away the drowsiness that was starting to settle in earlier, “What’s up, Athena?”

“Hello,” Athena nods as a greeting, “Do you remember the golden silk you gave me the other day?”

“Of course! I mean it’s only been like, what, a couple of days?” Medusa raises an eyebrow—that, and the material is worth what was left of her allowance after she bought the nightgown, but she doesn’t want to comment on it, “Made something already?”

There’s no answer as Athena reaches into the pouch she’s been holding while mumbling to herself. Medusa tries to catch whatever’s being said, but Athena’s voice is barely above a whisper, so she retreats back to leaning her half-sleepy self against the doorway. When Athena finally pulls out something small from inside the pouch, Medusa’s eyes widen in surprise and a gasp involuntarily escapes her lips. It’s a tiny golden Medusiana doll—a charm, more like. Some of the details are left out (they had to be, Medusa guesses), but Medusa would recognize that gaze and those sharp-looking scales anywhere and anytime. The small replica of her pet sits comfortably within Athena’s palm and when she attempts to get a better look, she freezes on the spot, watching Athena plant a gentle kiss onto the charm.

Medusa feels a rush of heat going up her face at the sight, and whatever she was going to say earlier has vanished from the tip of her tongue entirely. She places a hand on her chest, pressing against it in order to calm her thundering heartbeat; to almost no avail, unfortunately. Her other hand latches onto the doorway, trying to keep herself at bay as she finally manages to choke out a question, “Wh-what’s... what’s that for?”

“A blessing,” Athena says _casually_ with a little smile, the flustered tone in Medusa’s question completely flying above her head. She proceeds to hand the charm over, finally letting Medusa take a good look at it, “I originally planned for it to be a simple charm for display, but... I just noticed the air has been getting colder.”

Realizing the implication of Athena’s words, Medusa scoops up the charm with both of her hands. Warmth begins to spread throughout her entire body from her open palms, slow and steady. It feels... oddly familiar, somehow. She looks into the little replica’s eyes, trying to put a finger on what _exactly_ makes her feel as if it’s familiar. A few seconds pass and suddenly, another realization hits her.

It’s the feeling of being embraced.

“I...” Medusa trails off as she looks up to meet Athena’s eyes, her face being far _far_ warmer than the rest of her body, “... I... am pretty impressed, yeah.”

Athena smiles, relief evident on her face at the thought that Medusa can finally accept her form of gratitude, “I’m glad my hobby can be of some use to you.”

“Right, so uh... you know,” Medusa’s eyes dart from one side to another, trying their best from being captivated once again by Athena’s keen gaze, “... Thanks, I guess. This is neat.”

From her peripheral vision, Medusa sees Athena’s nod and her turning away from the doorway to Medusa’s room. Medusa expects her to walk away without saying anything else, but of course, knowing Athena, that doesn’t happen, “There’s still so much material left, so if you’d like anything else, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“Of course I will,” Medusa huffs as she tries her best to recollect her pride and looks at Athena dead in the eye with her tongue sticking out playfully (at least she _tries_ to be playful), “Gold is _my_ color.”

“... Yours indeed,” Athena smiles a bit wider, tilting her head to the side as she begins making her way back to her room at the other end of the hallway. Medusa watches her, figure getting smaller with every step she takes, her long blonde hair swaying elegantly behind her. The warmth that usually dissipates when Athena leaves her side now stays with her thanks to the charm in her hands.

Though she wonders still; she wonders if Athena is aware of the kind of warmth she’s left with the charm, she wonders if Athena’s trying to tell her something, she wonders and _wonders_... if there’s anything else behind it. And she’ll keep wondering, until one day, she can hear it from Athena herself.

* * *

Back in her room, Athena gathers up the scraps that fell to the floor when she was working on the charm and piles them up on the bigger part of the golden cloth that’s still untouched on her bed. She sits down right next to the heap of gleaming material and stares at it for a good minute. It’ll be too much of a waste, she thinks, to just leave the scraps as they are and toss them away. The shapes they’re in can still be pieced together with a few snips, and she takes no time in taking them back into her hand, while the other hand reaches for the sewing equipment that she left on the bedside table. She softly smiles at her own blurred reflection on the fabric, thinking up of the form she wants her own charm to be in.

_Perhaps... I can make it ‘ours.’_


	5. Sweet Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know I know when you’re lying, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks again to my dorter zoah for the main idea of this fic :D this was actually comedic in our original exchange but then i got overwhelmed by emotions and It Got Longer Than Intended. also i started writing this before summer satyr got announced so like... the noise i made... athemedu nation how we feelin
> 
> anyway!! i rambled sdjhjsd please enjoy the fruit of my spilled emotions!!

“It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow,” Athena recalled the words she’d overheard from the evening before. It was the only thing that mainly caught her attention from the group of fellow crew members that huddled together in front of the kitchen’s entrance under the dim lighting of the hallways, seemingly discussing plans for the special day. She also remembered the sign she caught a glimpse of right above the entrance, barely readable as always, but she could at least tell that it was to prevent any more people from going inside the busy room—‘ _fully booked_ ’, or something along that line, perhaps.

Apparently, the discussion wasn’t just about the confectionery. The crew members who weren’t a part of the group she came across received a pleasant surprise in the form of colorful Valentine-themed decorations within the ship by the time they woke up in the morning. Youngsters within the crew ran about, laughing as they showed off the wrapped sweets in their hands. Slightly reminiscent of Halloween, but much sweeter, if she could put it in a way.

Then she smiled at a memory that resurfaced the moment she looked at the sweets—the time when she asked for Medusa’s guidance with making handmade chocolates for last year’s Valentine’s Day. Medusa wasn’t exactly easy to please because of her experience, but it greatly helped her with learning the proper techniques. However this year, Athena had refrained from making any. One year had passed since she’d joined, many more people had become a member of this crew she’d come to hold dear, and thus the kitchen had gotten busier than ever. She’d decided to leave the task to those who were more experienced in the field and had picked up the responsibility to watch that everything would be carried out safely and smoothly.

“Someone’s having fun,” a voice stopped the train of thoughts in her mind. She looked to her side, searching for the source of the sound and raised her eyebrows when the woman in her thoughts had somehow manifested a few feet away from her completely undetected. Medusa stepped closer now that she’d been noticed, her hands behind her back as she looked towards the direction Athena was so focused on—towards their companions who were simply enjoying the day where they could freely show affection for one another, “It’s nice, huh?”

“Very,” Athena nodded, “You can feel it from here.”

“Yeah, that’s the fun in watching people celebrate a special day like this,” Medusa chuckled and then let the silence settle between them—just between them, because the room was lively otherwise. Medusa would cheerily return the greetings from the other crew members who passed close by, and Athena would nod her head as a response to the same greetings. It was a wonder how they could mutually find comfort in the silence, knowing Medusa’s personality; a wonder that was very much appreciated. Though it couldn’t last long because in the corner of her vision, Athena caught Medusa fidgeting in her spot and was about to ask if something was wrong until Medusa herself beat her to it, “So... I’m not gonna mince words, really.”

Athena’s attention had fully shifted to Medusa now, and she was completely taken aback when she had a neatly-decorated package full of sweets in various shapes shoved in her face. She blinked and hesitantly picked up the package that was about the size of the entirety of Medusa’s palm. After examining it thoroughly while running her thumbs against the little red ribbons that held the wrapping together, she watched the expression on Medusa’s face, obscured by silver strands of hair before putting the question up in the air, “Is this for me?”

“Y-yeah, who else...” Medusa drew circles on the floor with her foot, still hiding her face from Athena’s view, “A-also, I made the same thing for Satyr and the others since they told me they’d come here for today! Just... letting you know so you wouldn’t be surprised when she jumped at you outta nowhere or if you happened to see Baal and Nezha.”

“Oh,” Athena stared at the sweets within the transparent packaging, carefully molded into several different shapes with heart-shaped ones being the most prominent in varying sizes. She admired how smoothly they looked and smiled at the familiar shapes that she’d used last year for Djeeta’s gift, although these seemed much more refined than the ones she’d made. Returning her gaze back to Medusa, she found it odd that the woman hadn’t spared her a single look ever since the conversation actually began, but she decided not to point it out and mentioned the most important matter at hand, “Thank you. I’ll treasure them.”

“No, don’t,” Medusa groaned and smacked Athena’s arm with the back of her hand, “They’ll melt if you do that, silly.”

Athena let out a soft chuckle at the response, “Right. I’ll savor them.”

“Good,” Medusa muttered under a long sigh, still not meeting Athena’s gaze. Something seemed a little off, but Athena made no effort in commenting about it because she wasn’t even sure what felt _off_. And so she could only watch as Medusa turned away. To her surprise, Medusa didn’t scurry off immediately, as she seemed to be contemplating about something before stealing a glance over her shoulder to say, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Athena.”

“Happy Valentine's Day, Medusa,” Athena echoed the words, but quieter as uncertainty filled her heart when she watched Medusa running down the hallways of the ship.

* * *

Somehow, Athena had found herself on the deck of Grandcypher, staring down to the grass plains the airship had safely landed the night before. There were less people outside, she noted, and perhaps she needed some fresh air while her mind wandered off to how oddly Medusa was acting earlier. As much as she enjoyed the festivity, she felt the urge to leave the crowd when her thoughts had become too occupied.

She frowned as she put one of Medusa’s chocolates in her mouth, hoping that it’d at least help a little bit with processing her thoughts. The taste was amazing, as she’d expected, and she let out a pleased noise once her teeth had taken the first bite of the chocolate. She had the red small red ribbon wrapped around her finger, planning to wrap the packaging back up after tasting one small piece, but she figured she’d take another one now and keep the rest for some time later for when she was relaxing.

“Hey!” someone’s voice greeted from behind her, and she had to look around if said voice was aimed towards someone else. Once she’d confirmed that no one else was around or at least close enough within the hearing distance, she turned around to meet the owner, a woman with bright purple locks tied up in low twintails and a blinding smile on her face. The woman opened her mouth once more as she took a few steps closer, “It’s really you, Athy!”

“... Hello Satyr,” Athena answered after swallowing the chocolate, a bit surprised at their proximity, “How have you been?”

“The usual, as in good, thanks for asking!” Satyr paused with a giggle, the sound bringing a smile to Athena’s face, “How about you?”

“I’ve been well myself,” Athena nodded, “I heard you came here with Baal and Nezha.”

“Yup, we try to go around in groups whenever we’re visiting any of our friends! Like reunions of some sort,” Satyr said, “They’re still having a tour around the ship with Captain though. I decided to go around saying hi to everyone, and...”

Athena tilted her head when Satyr trailed off and reached into a small bag she was carrying. Her silent question was answered when Satyr pulled out a small wrapped chocolate ball.

“... handing one of these to anyone I passed by!” she continued as she took Athena’s free hand in hers and placed the candy on the open palm.

“Thank you,” Athena’s smile grew bigger as she put the chocolate in her pocket. She then unfastened the ribbon she had tied around her finger to rewrap it around the package she’d opened earlier. Then she heard Satyr let out an ‘ _oooh_ ’, and stopped to look at the woman with raised brows.

“Is that... from Medussy?” Satyr’s eyes were wide and blinking rapidly when the question came out.

“Oh, yes. She gave it to me earlier before telling me that you and the others were here,” Athena said as she casually continued to tie the accessory around the plastic packaging, not minding the shocked look on Satyr’s face very much, “I believe she also said she made you guys some, too.”

“Yeah but like...” Satyr paused as she gestured to the packaging, poking it a few times, “... not this fancy.”

“What do you mean?” Athena tilted her head in confusion once more.

“See here,” Satyr pulled out a similar packaging from her bag, though hers was wrapped with a pink ribbon and the chocolates were less varied in shape and there wasn’t as many in quantity, “Baal and Nezha also got the same thing. Yours got more ribbons and more chocolates!”

“Oh...” Athena blinked, trying to put the pieces together in her head, “... But why?”

“Now that, I’m not sure,” Satyr shrugged as she put her gift back into her bag, “What else did she say?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Athena shook her head, biting her lower lip as she pondered whether she should mention Medusa’s awkwardness from earlier—and she stopped once she reminded herself that Satyr might know more when it came down to the silver-haired woman, so she decided to say it out loud, “She was, however, being strangely... sheepish?”

“Shee—ohh...” Satyr’s expression quickly shifted from a frown to a stunned one, seemingly having something click within her mind as her ears perked up at the statement. She then snickered, and broke out into a fit of giggles as pink adorned her cheeks, “Lemme talk to her, okay?”

“O... kay?” Athena scratched the back of her neck, still clueless of the entire situation, “Do you have any idea what might be the cause? I’m worried.”

“Aww, don’t worry!” Satyr patted Athena’s shoulder in a reassuring motion, “I think I just need to have a little talk with her. Leave it to me, Athy!”

“Sure, but... is there anything I can do to help?” Athena cast her gaze downwards; her anxiety hadn’t vanished completely just yet.

“Wait here,” Satyr lifted Athena’s chin up with a finger in order for their gazes to meet, smiling softly, “I’ll tell her to come to you.”

“Alright,” Athena nodded as her grip on the gift in her hand tightened, “Thank you, really.”

“Hey, this is what friends are for,” Satyr winked and slowly backed away before twirling around to run off and find any sign of Medusa within the ship.

The deck felt a bit too empty now that Satyr had left. Sounds of footsteps would sometimes reverberate on the wooden floors, but none came any closer to her. So Athena went back to staring down upon the grass plains, watching as it danced when a breeze came through. Quietly, she sighed and let the wind carry her worries away, far from her unguarded heart.

* * *

In the kitchen, Medusa had been sitting cross-legged on the counter, pointing out which confectionery was whose every time any of her crewmates snuck inside to get extras. Granted, most of them were the little ones, because the big ones were exceptionally hard to drive away. She’d offered to watch over the sweets in Lowain’s stead, telling him that her snakes would love to snack on whatever insect that might be attracted to the sweet scent.

And it just happened to be one of those times when Medusa wanted to be on her own. A rare one, but she’d do anything to have some time to herself.

Unfortunately, it seemed that she couldn’t have her alone time for now—she wasn’t supposed to; she figured it a few moments ago, but her pride refused to admit that fact—because she could sense her friend coming closer and closer until a voice confirmed that her senses hadn’t gotten any duller.

“There you are, Medussy!” Satyr peeked from outside the entrance of the kitchen, almost distracted by the assortment of sweets on the table in the middle of the room.

“Hey, what’s up?” Medusa raised an eyebrow the moment she noticed that Satyr was almost out of breath when the latter went inside the kitchen, “Get to the point or you’re gonna be wasting more of your breath.”

“Okay look, so I just met Athy on the deck,” Medusa stiffened at the mention of Athena’s name, and it surely didn’t go unnoticed by Satyr, “She told me about what you gave her.”

“Y-yeah?” Medusa chuckled awkwardly, “What about it?”

“Well! I wanted to know why she had hers wrapped with red ribbons,” Satyr smiled and leaned back on the counter right across the counter Medusa was sitting on.

“I-I ran out of pink ribbons, that’s all,” Medusa shrugged and looked away with a pout.

“I see, I see... so do you wanna explain why she got a few more decorations and some more chocolates?” Satyr’s smile had turned into a grin by the time she finished the question.

Heat had shot up rather quickly to her face, and Medusa wanted to escape the room but immediately abandoned the idea when she remembered that it was _Satyr_ she was facing. She then fiddled with a few strands of her hair, desperately trying to avoid eye contact as she voiced out her answer, “I-I wanted her learn more about how to present her chocolates and—”

“Medussy,” Satyr said, cutting off Medusa’s rambling. Medusa could only glance at her friend for a moment and she groaned when she found the familiar understanding look in those eyes—Satyr was kind, always so _kind_ to her, “You know I know when you’re lying, right?”

“And you know I don’t like saying my feelings out loud, right?” Medusa gritted her teeth as she pointed at her chest, “Did you _really_ have to ask me, Satyr? I’m sure you understand this better than her.”

“Ah! I just wanted to make sure, okay? I... didn’t mean to force you to face it,” Satyr hurried to Medusa’s side and cupped the petite woman’s cheeks, with the latter still trying to avoid their gazes from meeting, “I’m sorry.”

Medusa wasn’t mad—she was more... frustrated. Frustrated because of what, she wasn’t sure—was it because of Satyr’s questions? Or was it because of her own feelings? She couldn’t tell anymore. Things would become jumbled up when she was being confronted this way, with her heart so visible to the person she was speaking to. Despite being fully aware that her conversations with Satyr would come dangerously close to her spilling too much, this time she just didn’t want to face the topic so abruptly. And she felt a pang of guilt when she noticed that Satyr’s ears had drooped because of the tone she was using earlier.

“Fine whatever, geez,” Medusa squeezed her friend’s cheeks as a payback, getting a whine from the fire primal, “Just don’t ask me when it’s so obvious to you next time.”

“Aw, you’re so cute,” Satyr giggled, swiftly avoiding Medusa’s hands from squeezing her cheeks once again—she really put everything in the previous one, “So... why not talk it out with her, then?”

“Talk what out?” Medusa squinted her eyes, finally finding it in her to look directly at her friend.

“She’s worried, you know,” Satyr pointed out.

“Huh? Worried about what?” Medusa looked genuinely confused, “Did I look _that_ weird to her when I handed the chocolate over?”

“No, she just said you were being sheepish,” Satyr poked Medusa’s nose, “ _Too_ sheepish for comfort. Maybe she thought you didn’t really want to give her the chocolate or something?”

“Oh are you kidding me...?” Medusa ran her hands down her face and let her frustration out in one long sigh, “... Where is she now? I’m gonna smack some sense into that pretty head of hers.”

Satyr snickered at the offhanded compliment as she pointed upwards, “I told her to wait on the deck.”

Jumping off the counter, Medusa placed a hand on Satyr’s shoulder, “You watch over these sweets. Don’t let anyone take any, not even yourself.”

“Okay sure, just tell me how it goes later,” Satyr winked and took Medusa’s hand in hers, her eyes softening, “Be a little more honest, yeah? You can take your time, but let her see you.”

It was that look again, but this time, Medusa kept her eyes on Satyr despite the way her cheeks were burning at how easily her friend could see through her. With a toothy grin, Medusa slipped her hand out of Satyr’s grasp as she continued to walk past her, “Got it, thanks.”

Satyr’s chest swelled with pride as she watched Medusa hastily leave the kitchen, feeling very accomplished. Whatever would come next would be _their_ problem, but if they needed her help again, she’d lend a hand. Being the first time she ever saw her friend put so much effort for someone other than her pet giant snake, she wouldn’t want things to go out of hand because it seemed that neither had experienced something like this before. Love was a feeling to be wary of, Satyr knew that much, and even though it might take far too long than necessary for them to sort things out, they had all the time in the world to spend anyway.

“So!” Satyr spoke to herself, eyes locked on the table full of sweets and laughed when she’d gotten a good look at each and every one of them, “Aww, these look way too cute for me to even have the heart to eat them!”

Perhaps she should ask for a few additional chocolates from Medusa as the relationship advice fee?

* * *

Meanwhile, with only half of the chocolates she’d gotten earlier left inside the packaging, Athena stared off into the distance. The taste of the sweets had kept her thoughts from going to places she didn’t want while she waited for the main focus of her thoughts to manifest once again around her like earlier today. And as if on cue, what she'd been waiting for finally happened when she was about to pop another chocolate into her mouth.

“Athena,” Medusa called out, feeling as if she was experiencing déjà vu with the distance between them, “Satyr told me you wanted to talk to me.”

“Oh, um...” Athena trailed off, setting the chocolates aside as she nodded stiffly in affirmation.

“Well? What is it?” Medusa strode closer, leaning against the handrail as she felt the wind blow her hair to the side (almost made herself look ridiculous with her massive hair slapping her own face, but her hand saved the day just in time).

“Are you... okay?” Athena quietly asked, keeping the question between them.

Medusa bit back a smile that nearly broke out because of Athena’s question, “I-I’m fine, why do you ask?”

“You were acting strange earlier... I thought you didn’t get enough rest because you were helping with putting up the decorations,” Athena scratched her cheek.

“It didn’t take that long to put those things up,” Medusa shrugged, “Besides, I wouldn’t give up even half a second of my precious beauty sleep for something like that.”

She glanced at the chocolates she nearly spent an entire night on within Athena’s grasp, her heart soaring at the knowledge that the woman seemed to enjoy them. She then formulated a much easier lie, but stopped halfway when she remembered what Satyr had told her. If she couldn’t be honest of what she was currently feeling, she could at least—at the very, very least, be honest about what she’d felt.

“I was just... embarrassed,” Medusa looked away, rubbing her nose, “It was... the first time I gave you Valentine’s Day chocolates, y’know?”

“You’re right,” Athena nodded, relief evident in her eyes, “They’re very good, by the way.”

“Of course, _I_ made them,” Medusa huffed, “Anyway, I was also super nervous on the side, so... sorry if you took it weirdly... I guess.”

“... Thank goodness,” Athena placed a hand on her chest, now also leaning her body on the railing, “I was so worried...”

“Just over my not getting enough rest? You’re funny,” Medusa chuckled as she knocked her foot against Athena’s.

Of course, despite her playful remark, Medusa could feel her cheeks growing warmer and warmer with each word said. She was leaving her feelings out in the open, even if it was just a quick glimpse of them. And Athena was keeping them safe—she saw, and she was keeping her safe by not poking around. Medusa could tell, because there were more questions in Athena’s eyes, but none was asked.

So she took the initiative as she pointed at the chocolates, “Oh, forgot to mention, Satyr must’ve told you about the chocolates, right? She talks a lot and I’m pretty sure she saw that.”

“Yes, she did. About how I happened to receive a different one from what they got,” Athena looked at the red ribbon wrapped on her finger.

“Well, I ran out of pink ribbons, you see,” Medusa faked a dramatic sigh, “And I put more chocolates in for you because I wanted you to know more about how special they are for this day, and how you should _present_ them.”

A lie or two wouldn’t hurt her, because the truth to these facts would be too much for her to speak of. Besides, she wasn’t entirely lying about the chocolates—she did want Athena to understand more. After all, she took it upon herself to show Athena what it meant to have fun—in a way, one could say she wanted to show Athena the world the way she viewed it.

But that, she would never speak of—a selfish little secret of hers.

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Athena smiled out of sheer relief and gratitude, “Thank you very much.”

“R-right, right, it’s no big deal,” Medusa waved her hand in front of her, rather eager to change the topic to anything but her poor lies. It didn’t help that she could feel Athena’s gaze on her even more than usual now that she was aware of her surroundings. Thinking that she had to drive the conversation away smoothly, luck was on her side as she found the one thing that could keep the flow going, “Anyway speaking of chocolates, wanna know something funny?”

“Hm?” Athena leaned down slightly, as if Medusa was going to spill a big secret.

And Medusa grinned mischievously when she saw the curiosity in Athena’s eyes, “I didn’t give Baal chocolates. I gave him cat food.”

“Cat... food?” Athena blinked in bewilderment, “... Is he okay with it?”

“ _More_ than okay,” Medusa laughed, “He said chocolates were bad for his heart so he’d take cat food over sweets any day.”

Athena smiled, humming at how Medusa excitedly elaborated the different kinds of sweets she’d given to her primal pals. Apparently, Nezha loved dark chocolates and Satyr loved ones with crushed biscuits in them. Athena too, shared some of her experiences; like how she had once met a skydweller who was very much alike to Baal in regards to their behavior, sharing dining plates with their pet cat and all. There were other secrets; outright stated or not, the two of them figured out some more about each other, smiling and laughing as they whispered things no one else should know. Just the two and their memories—

—peacefully enjoying one little bit of the eternity they had together.


	6. Tipsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “... Why have you never really looked at me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hewwo this oneshot is the result of an obscure prompt i wrote....then dorter helped me figure out What To Do with it so everybody say thank you zoah :D please enjoy~
> 
> tw// alcohol, drunk snake lady

Darkness has covered the skies, with stars glimmering faintly up high. Most of the crew members have fallen asleep once Grandcypher has landed safely in Golonzo, getting as much rest as they can before the busy morning comes. The quiet hooting of an owl can be heard from one of the bedrooms, as the bird stays alert for the entire night while its master sleeps soundly. Only its eyes are visible in the dark, with the illumination of the moon peeking through the small gap between the curtains occasionally brightening a portion of the room.

Despite having his own bedding that already keeps him warm, Glafkos glides over to sit on Athena’s bed sometimes. He does so out of instinct, and the habit doesn’t seem like it’ll ever go away. Every time Athena shifts in her sleep, he’ll move to perch right next to the pillow, making sure that nothing disturbs her. After a few minutes, he goes back to his bedding; he doesn’t really need rest, but Athena lets him be at times when there’s no threat to be worried about.

Then the door swings open in a speed that alerts the owl. Staring at the doorway, he prepares to zoom towards the guest with wings gradually spreading out. But he stops in place as he doesn’t sense even a little bit of malicious intent from the sudden guest and instead aims toward the empty spot next to Athena’s pillow. Once he lands there, he finally has a proper look of whatever it is that has opened the door. It’s Athena’s friend, who has snakes in place of her hair. Said snakes have mostly sprung up to life, while their owner ambles unsteadily inside the room.

As the small woman walks closer to the bed, Glafkos stays still, tilting his head. Demanding answers from the snakes doesn’t seem to be working, as they’re currently busy with keeping their owner’s balance, so he waits. When she reaches the bed, she doesn’t stop going forward and it causes her to stumble and fall onto the sheets with a loud rustle. Glafkos jumps back a bit, and he watches Athena jolt awake to a sitting position with a wary gaze on her sleepy eyes.

Athena places a hand on her forehead as the other hand reaches for the lamp on the bedside table. With a click of the switch, the room is now illuminated by a gentle orange glow, revealing silver hair and snakes splayed all over the bed. The lump of silver locks along with the small serpents has fallen down on her legs, which caused her quite the shock and now her head throbs with slight dizziness.

“What in heaven’s name...” Athena pinches the bridge of her nose, frowning as she tries to register the whole situation presented in front of her, “... Medusa?”

The woman in question answers her with muffled grumbles and a fist hitting the bed weakly. One of the snakes, however, perks up at Athena’s voice and moves up to nudge her hand. Getting a good look at the little snake, she spots a folded memo card hanging on its neck by a loose ribbon. She then gives the snake a pat on the head before untying the ribbon, opening the card to find a neat cursive writing. Then feeling a familiar weight drop on her shoulder, she glances to find Glafkos curiously staring at the memo card, just as intrigued as she is when she brings the card closer to see what’s written. It says:

_To whoever receives this note_

_Good evening, this is Ladiva. I apologize if I happened to disturb your much-needed rest, but Medusa has had a little more alcohol than she could handle, I think. She had thrown a tantrum within the bar. And while she caused no harm to anyone, I was afraid she might hurt herself, so I asked the snakes to bring her somewhere somebody could watch over her just in case. I don’t think she’d fare well if left alone in that state. Again, I am sorry for the trouble and I thank you very much for taking care of her._

_P.S. Bring this note back to Raduga whenever you’re available to come by. I’ll serve you a special brew!_

_Much love_

Athena sighs once she finishes reading the memo, folding it again and placing it on the bedside table. Being someone who’s not big on drinking, she doesn’t think too much of the special brew—she only knows that Ladiva must be worried sick, and thus keeps in mind that she’ll return the memo tomorrow night. What’s more, she wonders what was going on in Medusa’s mind that she had downed so much alcohol to the point where she seems only to be half-conscious at the moment.

Her eyebrows are furrowing with worry now that the thought has sprung up in her mind. She motions for Glafkos to go back to his bedding, and the owl does as he's told while still keeping an eye on the two women. Without a second thought, she reaches forward and pulls Medusa up further onto the bed by the arms, “Come now, that’s not comfortable...”

Again, Medusa grumbles, and despite already having her face lifted up from the bed, Athena still can’t figure out what’s being said.

“Pardon me?” Athena tilts her head and tries to look at the smaller woman’s face.

“... I said...” Medusa slurs her words, but much more audible this time. Then she snaps her head to look up at Athena as she drags herself close to the blonde, causing their noses to bump against each other, “What do _you_ know about what’s comfortable for me?!”

“Ah,” Athena winces at the sudden sound and their proximity, but she doesn’t pull back. The smell of alcohol is evident in every breath Medusa lets out, and it worries her further now that she can take a guess on how much Medusa drank. Not that alcohol has a terrible effect on their body in the long run, no, since they’re wired differently than skydwellers; it’s more because of the reason why Medusa did this. She doesn’t know that yet, and she’s not sure if she can tell with Medusa in this state. Or if she’ll ever know at all.

“Why?” Medusa says, her voice strained, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Hazed eyes are staring at her, the red irises with yellow tints that have been embedded into her mind very well. Medusa’s reddened face contorts into a scowl, not hiding at all that she’s upset. Something stirs within Athena at the sight and that something is telling her to speak. And so speak she does, “... Like what, Medusa?”

“Like you _know_ me,” Medusa brings her hand to rest on Athena’s chest, clutching on the fabric of the taller woman’s shirt, “... Why?”

Athena frowns in confusion at the question. She feels Medusa’s fist knocking on her chest every now and then as if to tell her that she’s impatiently waiting for an actual answer. But Athena doesn’t know—she doesn’t really grasp what Medusa’s asking her. Of course she _knows_ Medusa, but she’s not sure if she actually catches the context of Medusa’s question. So Athena voices out her confusion, “I don’t... understand what you’re talking about.”

“See?” Medusa hits her chest a little harder, “You don’t know me.”

“Well, if you’re not telling me, how am I supposed to know?” Athena grabs onto Medusa’s wrist and tugs on it gently, “Listen, you need to get some rest.”

“No, that’s not what I _need_ , you idiot,” Medusa grits her teeth, ending her sentence with a hiccup.

“Then _tell me_ ,” Athena presses her forehead against Medusa’s, making sure that their gazes are locked.

“Fine! I just...” Medusa pauses, opening and closing her mouth as words seem to fail her each time while her body sways from side to side, dangerously close to falling over. Then with a long sigh, she finally continues to slur quietly, “... A hug. I need a hug.”

The sudden shift of Medusa’s tone catches Athena off-guard, and she pulls back slightly with a deeper frown than before. She does feel her cheeks burning up at the statement, though. Her grip loosens on Medusa’s wrist, and Medusa places her palm on Athena’s shoulder. They’re in a little bit of an awkward position now that Athena’s a little more aware of her surroundings, with Medusa having made herself comfortable by sitting on her lap somewhere in the middle of their short banter.

Athena clenches and unclenches her fist, unsure about what to do in this sort of situation. Her heartbeat has considerably gone up in speed, much to her dismay because she usually has perfect control of her emotions. But with Medusa... now that she thinks about it, with Medusa around she feels as if she can allow herself to be emotional, despite still not being very used to it. Perhaps it’s the other woman’s personality that brings out the feelings she’s locked away for so long, but Athena never feels as if her heart is being dragged out—it flutters on its own.

Perhaps Medusa makes her feel at ease.

And she wonders if Medusa feels the same.

In her contemplation, Athena has wrapped her arms around Medusa’s waist, one hand snaking up to rest on the shoulder blade as she pulls the silver-haired woman into a hug, slowly and carefully. Medusa doesn’t push her—in fact, she’s not moving at all, letting herself be held. Athena feels how warm Medusa’s body has gotten and she’s fully aware that it’s because of the alcohol. With that in mind, she considers the possibility that the cold is the reason why Medusa has gotten herself in this situation.

“I didn’t say the hug I needed was from you,” Medusa whispers as she wraps her arms around Athena’s neck and buries her face into the broad of Athena’s shoulder, pulling herself closer, “But good that for once, you actually know me.”

What else can she offer, really? Even if the hug Medusa mentioned weren’t one from her, Athena would still do this. She simply wants to help with whatever she can. Still a bit concerned though, because she feels Medusa’s fast heartbeat thumping against her body. But it confuses her—it confuses her just how much of this sensation comes from Medusa... and how much comes from herself.

“You’re an idiot, Athena,” Medusa mumbles.

“How rude,” Athena sighs, not masking the irritation in her voice at all.

“Have you ever bothered to look deeper into someone?” Medusa completely ignores Athena’s previous answer, “What if they’re not as shallow as you think they are?”

“I’d never think of anyone as shallow, Medusa,” Athena bites her lower lip to stop herself from speaking further, carefully choosing her words.

“Then why...” Medusa nuzzles her face into the side of Athena’s neck, “... Why have you never really looked at _me_?”

Words completely leave Athena now. Medusa’s voice cracked in the middle of her sentence and it _hurts_ ; it hurts her heart—as if it’s being squeezed and she doesn’t know how to soothe the pain. This is a first for her and she thinks she may as well have gone crazy. Then is she only imagining things? The pain, all the way to Medusa’s cracked voice? If so, then since when has she been experiencing this and how much of it is real?

“You’re always like that,” Medusa hiccups, “Always taking my words as they are. You never act like you’d ever ask me how I truly feel—like you're interested.”

The warmth between them is enough to prove that all of this is real, though. Athena closes her eyes to focus on listening to everything Medusa has to say. Under the influence of alcohol, people are either far more honest, or say things they don’t really mean in the spur of the moment. Medusa is no liar, Athena believes, and she also understands that these are all the truth. These are just the pieces of Medusa she’s never seen before, because she’s never tried to look beyond the things Medusa’s told her.

“But you’re still _so_ kind,” Medusa sobs faintly, “You probably think you’re considering my feelings when you don’t question the things I’ve said to you, right?”

“... Yes,” Athena replies quietly after a long while of staying silent as she pats Medusa’s back, hoping that she can somehow help her calm down.

“Well guess what, you're wrong,” Medusa says, “Use that brain of yours and think of what I really mean.”

Athena doesn’t respond. She simply opens her eyes and watches as little snakes nuzzle her face one by one before they turn into the silver strands of Medusa’s hair. She feels Medusa’s breaths gradually growing even, and she takes it as a sign that the woman will fall asleep anytime soon. Strangely enough, the heartbeat stays at the same rate from when she first noticed it, if not going slightly faster now.

“Athena, I...” Medusa trails off, letting silence surround the room as her fingers dig into the fabric of Athena’s shirt, “... I just want you to understand me.”

Athena smiles wryly, Medusa’s words etched into her mind as she holds the earth primal closer, “I’d like that, too.”

“Then promise me,” Medusa lets out a long sigh, “That these feelings won’t go to waste.”

“I promise they won’t,” Athena clenches her fist as she feels Medusa’s grip loosening further and the latter lazily slumps forward. Medusa has fallen asleep, and Athena places a hand behind the former’s head so that she can run her fingers down the long, soft silver locks, “... Good night, Medusa.”

Athena pushes the blanket off so that she can properly lay Medusa down on the bed. There’s not much room for two people, but she’ll manage. She gently removes a few stray strands of Medusa’s hair off the woman’s face, unknowingly letting the back of her fingers linger on Medusa’s cheek for a little too long. Reaching out to the blanket, she pulls it to cover Medusa’s body up to her neck and drapes a small portion of it over herself as she lies down—she doesn’t need too much warmth. Turning her back away from Medusa, she turns the lamp on the bedside table off and whispers a goodnight to Glafkos, who has silently witnessed the entire thing.

At this point, her mind is completely occupied by the things Medusa has said. She thinks she’s not going to be able to get any sleep, with the words still ringing clear within every corner of her mind. That, and her heartbeat hasn’t quite slowed down enough yet for her to be able to relax. But thankfully, Glafkos notices her problem and starts hooting lowly. It’s akin to a lullaby for Athena, one that Glafkos sings whenever she allows too many thoughts circle within her head.

Soon enough, she falls asleep with Glafkos’ little song echoing in the room and a pair of arms circling her waist from behind.

* * *

Morning has come. Sunlight filtered through closed eyelids is all Medusa sees as she senses something nudging her nose after she regains her consciousness from a fuzzy dream. It doesn’t bother her at first and she tries to go back to sleep, but whatever it is keeps poking her nose that she has to open her eyes, inevitably causing her head to throb with great pain as light stabs into her vision, “Ow!”

“Oh, you’re awake,” someone’s voice resounds from the other side of the room.

Medusa tries to look at the person who apparently has barged into her room but stops when she notices that the ceiling isn’t the one she’s familiar with. Yet Medusiana pops into view, head slowly tilting to the side. As she places the free hand that’s not holding her forehead on Medusiana’s snout, she also finds out that her pet was the thing that was poking her nose.

“She came here looking for you,” the faceless voice says again, followed by the sound of their busy footsteps on the floor.

“Who...” Medusa hisses as she steadily props herself up to lean back on the headrest, the pain in her head growing stronger each second. She presses both her palms on her eyes, whining and groaning every time the throb comes like spikes stabbing the insides of her head.

“Here, drink this,” Medusa squints her eyes as she takes a glass of... what seems to be sickly green goo. She recognizes the voice now that the source is closer, sitting on the edge of the bed—it’s Athena.

“... You’ve gotta be kidding me...” Medusa gags at the smell, but then the disgust is immediately overlapped by the pain in her head.

“It works fast. You’ll feel better right away, I promise,” the word ‘promise’ rings a bell in Medusa’s head, but she doesn’t have a single idea why, “I have something sweet here to counter the... um... bitter taste.”

“Ooh I don’t like that hesitation coming from you,” Medusa frowns as she pinches her nose, not wanting to take another whiff of the goo. In all honesty, if the pain wasn’t at the point where it dulls the rest of her senses, she’d much rather wait it out until it fades away on its own. She curses under her breath and quickly brings the glass to her mouth, eyes squeezed shut as the liquid flows down her throat fast enough so that she doesn’t have to taste it one bit. Unfortunately, the unpleasant flavor manages to stick on her tastebuds, causing her to cough uncontrollably once she puts the empty glass away.

“What the _heck_ was that?!” Medusa snaps as she swings her hand and manages to land a smack on Athena’s arm.

“Herbs,” Athena deadpans, picking up the empty glass and handing a cup of warm tea to Medusa, “I asked Glafkos to gather some earlier.”

Medusa takes her time with the tea, washing the insides of her mouth with the pleasant sweet goodness. Then she swallows it, immediately feeling the bitterness—or whatever she can call it because it definitely was _more_ than just bitter—finally go down her throat. She repeats the process until the cup is empty, making sure that none of the thing from before is left in her mouth. Once she’s done, she looks up at Athena and returns the cup, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as she squeaks out, “You sure those weren’t just random grasses?”

“Well, yes,” Athena nods, sleepiness still sort of evident in her eyes when she takes the cup and brings the utensils to her work desk, where other utensils can also be seen along with whatever is left of said herbs, “You feel better now, don’t you?”

“I... I guess...” Medusa blinks, frowning as she sees the faint relieved smile on Athena’s face, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Athena pulls up a tissue and wipes both of her hands as she walks back to the bed, messy blonde hair swaying behind her, “It’ll be time for breakfast soon.”

“Huh? Oh, right,” Medusa scratches the back of her head, looking down when she feels her cheeks growing hotter after realizing that she’s been staring for a bit too long, “H-hey... um... I don’t really remember what happened last night other than I got drunk but like... you know... I didn’t say anything weird, did I?”

The bed sinks to the side under Athena’s weight once again, the woman’s eyes unreadable and her expression not giving anything away, “... No, not really. You were mumbling things and then you passed out. I didn’t quite catch what you were saying since I was pretty much half-asleep myself.”

“Good... good,” Medusa sighs out of relief, jumping off the bed while watching Medusiana slither to her side right away, “A-anyway! I appreciate the help. Thanks a lot.”

“Be mindful of how much you can drink next time,” Athena says sternly, frowning when she hears Medusa click her tongue, “Medusa...”

“I-I get it, I get it!” Medusa raises a hand, “Stop nagging me...”

“Is it so wrong for me to care about you?” Athena runs her hand down her gold locks and untangles the small knots that have formed.

“... No, that’s not what I meant, sheesh,” Medusa strides forward and wonders if her face can get any hotter than it already is. After she makes sure that her features are out of Athena’s sight, she mutters, “See you in the dining room.”

“See you,” Athena replies softly, watching the petite woman rush outside with Medusiana following suit.

When the two have taken the turn and gone out of sight, Glafkos flies onto the bed and looks up to Athena, eyes full of questions. Athena too, has questions of her own that may be left unanswered until who knows when, but she ruffles the owl’s feather, smiling down solemnly.

“Please allow me to learn how to follow my heart.”

* * *

“I can’t believe this,” Medusa grumbles as she stomps her way down the hallway. She pouts at her fellow little snakes as they stare at each other in a confused fashion, “You guys took me _there_ , knowing that she was the reason why I got wasted to begin with?”

The snakes judgingly look at her now, disapproving what she did back in Athena’s room.

“W-what? It’s not like I remember what happened. Plus she said I didn’t say anything weird!” Medusa stops and crosses her arms in front of her chest, “If you’re all so mad about it then tell me what happened last night. I’m sure none of you remember either.”

In fact, one of them remembers, but it’s too upset to let Medusa in on the details.

“Ah, screw it,” Medusa pokes its nose in annoyance, “But y’know, I kinda think she was being a little weird with that last question though. I wonder why.”

Then the little snakes peck on her forehead in turns while Medusiana nudges her arm, all of them seemingly disappointed in her.

“Ow, ow! Not you too, Medusiana! Seriously, what’s wrong with you guys?! Can’t you tell me what’s really up?!” Medusa snaps at her companions, her ramblings going on and on as they continue their way back to her room so that she can change into proper clothes.

Medusa will surely understand Athena too.

Even if it means the serpents need to give their beloved master a taste of her own medicine every now and then.


	7. Coincidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why... why are you awake?” Medusa shuts her eyes tightly as even more tears spill and grits her teeth, “... I wish you were asleep...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hello yes i'm back with even more emo and idk if i'm sorry or not. please enjoy! :D

It’s strange how one can decide where a dream ends. At times at will, at times it just... ends. Even stranger when there’s no outside influence; like now, when Athena opens her eyes to meet the moonlight still peeking through her shut curtains instead of the sunlight. This isn’t a first, but whenever it happens, it bothers her a bit. Although she knows it must be trivial if nothing hinders her from going back to her slumber, something keeps nagging at the back of her mind, and she can’t quite put a finger on what bothers her so.

Thus she decides to push herself up to a sitting position, leaning her back on the headrest as she keeps her gaze locked on one corner of her room. The crickets are keeping her company, sounds clear in the silence of the night. But soon enough, the repetitive sounds become simple noises in her ears and they leave her even wider awake than she was. Peace and quiet don’t seem to come easy to her tonight.

She lets out an exasperated sigh as she sets her feet on the floor to get up and fetch something to read from her bookshelf. She remembers a book she’s been holding off from continuing and hopes that it can somehow help lull her to sleep. The soft yellow light from the night lamp on her bedside table reaches far enough to illuminate the bookshelf, and she begins tracing her finger down the spine of every book. The books are organized in alphabetical order, and all she needs is to find one book that starts as the same letter as the one she’s searching for.

Once she finds the book in question, she pulls it out from the top, but immediately stops when she hears a set of knocks on her door. She tilts her head in bewilderment, carefully making her way to the door while she tosses around the many possibilities of who this visitor might be within her head. She slowly pulls the door open, head already peeking out when the hallway’s candlelight begins to leak in from the gap.

“I can’t believe you’re actually awake,” a chirpy voice greets her before she can even get a proper look, but of course that alone is enough for her to identify her mystery guest.

“Medusa?” Athena opens the door further and raises her eyebrows when she sees the shorter woman, scanning her from the top of her head down to her toes. Medusa meets her gaze with a frown, her hands clutching the skirt of her nightgown tightly that they’ve turned white. She seems rather... distressed, and it brings a frown to Athena’s very own features, “What’s wrong?”

“... Can... Can I come in?” Medusa asks after swallowing a lump in her throat, releasing the grip on her skirt once the question comes out of her mouth.

“Of course,” Athena gives way for Medusa to enter the room. After she’s made sure that no one else is visiting her by peeking out to the hallways, she closes the door.

“You never lock your door, huh?” Medusa says along with the sound of her body hitting the mattress.

“Yes, only when I’m inside though,” Athena combs her hair with her fingers as she takes a seat right beside Medusa and feels the bed sink deeper to her side, “Just in case anybody needs my immediate assistance.”

“Ha, you sleep like a _log_ ,” Medusa scrunches her nose, eyes emptily staring at the ceiling.

“Glafkos will wake me up,” Athena looks at the owl quietly watching the two from atop his bedding, then glances at Medusa, “While we’re still on the topic, may I ask why you’re awake at this hour?”

The question is met with silence, hanging heavily in the air while Medusa uneasily fiddles with her fingers. She stays mum as she drags herself up the bed and rests her head on one end of the pillow, back turned against Athena. Her lower lip trembles, and something keeps stopping her from stating the reason out loud. But she knows better than leaving Athena’s questions unanswered—she’d just never hear the end of them, so she picks one of the many excuses she can use, “I fell down my bed and it was already too cold for me to go back to sleep, even with my own blanket. So I figured this’d be the best place to sleep.”

Athena responses with an understanding hum and she mumbles things Medusa can’t quite catch as the latter feels the blanket being draped over her body. It’s warm, even warmer than it appears to be. She lets Athena arrange the sheet and feels her heart flutter when she notices that she practically has the entire blanket to herself now. Then the heat unexpectedly shoots up to her face when she hears Athena’s voice close to her ear, “Is this okay?”

“Y-yeah, it’s toasty,” Medusa pulls the blanket over her face as she poses a question of her own, “Hey, uh... what were you saying?”

The weight on the bed shifts yet again as Athena moves away to lay her back on the headrest, “What are you referring to?”

“You were mumbling something when you put the blanket on me,” Medusa elaborates, “What was that?”

“Oh, it was an incantation,” Athena says, “It’s a spell that makes heat course through fabric so that it can be transferred to your body, allowing it to circulate within your veins. It basically turns fabric into a heat conductor.”

“... Huh, that’s pretty neat,” Medusa holds the blanket closer to her body, “Thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Athena slides her body down and lets herself relax when the back of her head is settled on the pillow. She dismisses Medusa’s uncharacteristic mellowness as a result of the woman being drowsy, and faces away from her.

“What about you?” Medusa asks just as Athena turns off the nightlight, “Why were you still awake?”

Not even Athena knows exactly why she woke up. What she can tell is that her mind simply told her that that was the moment when her dream ended, and she woke up at the instruction. To put it simply, she woke up for no reason at all, “I just happened to wake up sometime before you came over.”

“... What a coincidence, huh...” Athena feels Medusa move from her position at the other end of the bed, the sheets rustling softly at her movements. When she senses something touching her back, she knows Medusa has scooted closer and buried her face into her back, “... I wish you were asleep.”

“Medusa—” Athena tries to turn around and see, but Medusa immediately pushes her back down with a strong grip on Athena’s arm, “—what’s the matter?”

“Don’t turn around,” Medusa’s muffled voice says, “Stay there. Don’t look, just... just listen.”

Athena is about to protest, but words fall off the tip of her tongue when Medusa’s hand on her arm begins to tremble. All the fight finally leaves her as Medusa presses herself closer onto her back, not giving her even an inch of space to move. She stares forward into the darkness, while her ears entirely focus on catching every sound that comes from Medusa. For a few seconds, there’s nothing but the sounds of their breaths drifting off into the air and Medusa’s uneasy fidgeting behind her, but her worries begin to subside when she hears a particularly long sigh from the other woman.

“... I had a nightmare,” Medusa starts, her voice slightly choked, “It was a nice dream at first.”

Once, Athena has read somewhere that the worst nightmares are ones that began with the promise of a happy ending. Something within her chest begins to throb with piercing pain when the truth is revealed—she doesn’t mind the fact that Medusa used a fake excuse earlier; what causes the pain is the fact that Medusa had to experience such a thing and had to keep it to herself.

“I called it a dream, but it was more like a flashback of the times I’d spent with my sisters. I dreamed of their smiles, I felt their touches, I could hear their voices...” Athena hears the smile in Medusa’s voice, “... It was because I held their cores close to me. One of those nights, you know? When I just miss them so much that I can’t bear to be away from them now that I’ve... I’ve got them back.”

Athena hums as a sign for Medusa to continue her story. She doesn’t plan to interrupt in any way.

“It was usually pleasant whenever I did that, but...” Medusa trails off, “... Then the memories of when I got separated from them came along. Everything around me crumbled and left me in the darkness alone... and not even Medusiana was there. At least... at least if Medusiana was there, I could tell that my sisters were okay... I could tell that they were out there somewhere... but she wasn’t there, Athena. She wasn’t _there_.”

Medusa’s voice cracks as she finishes her sentence, Athena’s name almost sounding like a chore to pronounce. Yet Athena holds back from commenting, biting her lower lip because it’s not the proper time—she knows, she knows because she feels warm tears beginning to soak into the back of her shirt.

“I was cold and I’d never been more terrified. I tried to call out to them but I couldn’t hear anything other than my own screams...” Medusa sobs loudly, “... I was... I was completely alone in that darkness. It was so empty and suffocating. Then I closed my eyes and... and cried out that it was all just a dream... and then I woke up crying and sweating. I panicked when I couldn’t feel the cores in my hands... b-but I finally found them at the other end of the bed.”

Athena doesn’t know why it’s become harder for her to breathe with every sob Medusa lets out. Her heart _aches_ and she can do nothing but press her lips in a tight line.

“... I really tried to go back to sleep with them again, but no matter how long I spent tossing and turning around in the bed, my mind... my mind kept repeating the scene and I was afraid that if I were to sleep...” Medusa coughs, “... the nightmare would continue. And my chest hurt so, _so_ much at the thought. So I left my sisters with Medusiana and just... wandered in the hallways until... until for some reason I decided to knock on your door...”

Medusa ends the retelling of her story with a shaky exhale, and she releases her grip on Athena’s arm to bring her hand up to wipe her overflowing tears. She _hates_ when her emotions claw at her heart from the inside—and when she lets them out, _this_ happens and she has no way of controlling it. She doesn’t know why, even though she’d decided to forget about the dream when Athena let her inside the room, she poured everything out anyway. Her chest feels as if it’s burning, and she hugs herself as if to ensure that she’s not physically _crumbling_.

And it burns even more when she feels a hand nudging her head forward, pulling her into a hug.

“Why... why are you awake?” Medusa shuts her eyes tightly as even more tears spill and grits her teeth, “... I wish you were asleep...”

“Because you asked me to listen,” Athena says, pulling the blanket over Medusa again and rests her hand on Medusa’s upper arm, “And I made sure not to look, so it’s okay.”

 _It’s okay_ , the words repeat in Medusa’s head. Athena’s voice feels warm, warding away the cold darkness clouding her mind ever since she woke up from the nightmare. Who is she kidding—she’d wished Athena to be awake ever since the first knock on the door.

“... Come here whenever you feel like it. Even if I’m asleep,” Athena whispers softly, “The door’s never locked. I will be here.”

Once Athena ends her speech, Medusa slowly begins to wail. She cries the rest of her tears out, with Athena allowing her shirt to be soaked with them. Her cries are muffled, what with her face now buried into Athena’s chest. The tears she’s letting out are those of mixed emotions—she’s mostly relieved, and the sadness is simply seeping away along with each drop. She curls up within Athena’s embrace, feeling the taller woman run her hand down the back of her head to play with the silver tresses, repeating the motion to soothe her.

Athena feels Medusa tremble in arms, and listens to her sobs silently without uttering a single word. She lets the sounds echo in the air, wishing that they go away along with Medusa’s fears. It pains her to witness Medusa in this state, but in no way it is a burden—Medusa lets her see this side of her, and Athena accepts it wholeheartedly. She doesn’t quite know the extent of Medusa’s suffering, thus she won’t say that she understands. But this pain prickling her erratic heart is very real and severe.

All she can do is imagine just how much worse Medusa is having it right now.

Athena holds her even closer, even though Medusa has considerably calmed down by the moment she does so. She rests her chin on the top of Medusa’s head, feeling herself sink into the sea of silver tendrils. Medusa still sobs every now and then, but her tears seem to have stopped falling. And judging by how Medusa slides her hands around her waist, Athena seems to have made the correct decision by tightening the hug.

Medusa doesn’t do what she doesn’t want to do, after all.

“... Don’t you dare tell anyone about this,” Medusa’s muffled voice starts, tugging on several strands of Athena’s hair.

“Of course, no need to worry,” Athena responds with a wry smile, “How are you feeling?”

“My eyes hurt,” Medusa sniffs, “But other than that I... I think I’m okay.”

“Thank goodness,” Athena sighs and pats the back of Medusa’s head gently.

Medusa shifts in her position and looks up, gazing directly at Athena, who has pulled back slightly from their embrace to look back at her with a tilted head. It’s a small thing Medusa adores—the head tilt. Aside from having an owl companion, this one trait is why Medusa dubs her a ‘silly owl’ sometimes. She definitely never lets Athena know that she likes it though.

“No, _thanks_ for letting me use your shirt as a tissue,” Medusa bites back a smile when she hears Athena’s chuckle, “I’ll introduce you to my sisters next time as a token of gratitude.”

“Mm, that’ll be an honor,” Athena smiles as she swipes her thumb across a trail of teardrop on Medusa’s cheek and subtly raises an eyebrow when Medusa stiffens a little at the action, “Well now, do you feel like you can sleep just fine?”

“H-huh? Oh right, yeah but... uh, not really _now_ , I guess,” Medusa breaks their eye contact, warmth creeping up her face, “You sleepy already?”

“I don’t think so... but I fall asleep rather easily, as you’ve already known,” Medusa snickers at the statement.

“Alright then, wanna do something?” Medusa asks, “Your choice.”

Athena taps a finger on her chin, eyes staring upward in contemplation. There’s only so much they can do at this time of night, though even with the limited option, she still can’t think up of an answer on the spot when she’s asked about such a thing so suddenly. She usually resorts to reading until her eyes get tired, but Medusa doesn’t seem to be much of the reading type and even if there’s a chance Medusa agrees to it, she doesn’t think her assortment of books will appeal to the smaller woman.

So she decides to retrace their conversation from a few moments ago and points out the very thing that will interest both of them, “Say, can you tell me more about your sisters?”

Eyes lighting up at the question, Medusa eagerly nods her head with a huge grin on her face, “Sure thing! What do you wanna know?”

“Everything,” Athena chuckles at the amount of energy that Medusa seems to have regained, “Tell me everything you’d like me to know.”

The grin on Medusa’s lips gradually turns into a wide smile. Now it’s her turn to think of things to say, with Athena absentmindedly playing with the stray strands of her hair as she waits patiently. Once Medusa snaps her fingers, Athena settles herself to listen. She starts it off with telling Athena of their names and appearances (“Have I mentioned how pretty they are? Yeah, they’re _super_ pretty.”). Athena makes sure that the story doesn’t go down the path where Medusa has to speak of the time she was separated from her sisters—she wants Medusa to recall the happy memories and _only_ the happy memories.

Judging from the shine in Medusa’s eyes, Athena knows she’ll actually find out _everything_ Medusa can tell her about her sisters tonight like some sort of crash course. Something she fully appreciates because it’s simply natural for her to know the people she’ll be introduced to.

As she ponders whether Medusa's sisters will like her or not, little does she know that she’s been brought up so many times whenever Medusa speaks to her sisters. But of course, a proper introduction shall be in order. And the two of them look forward to it with different extents of anticipation, yet excited all the same.

Perhaps the fact that Athena was awake when Medusa knocked on her door wasn’t a coincidence, after all.

At least, Athena doesn’t want it to be a mere coincidence.


	8. Odd Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Besides there’s nobody else I can ask for help when it comes down to this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys i wanted to update yesterday but i looked at the date and i just thought it'd be funnier to update today which is the 6th of september. hehe 69 hehe.
> 
> anyway please enjoy this thing that happened because i got inspired by a prompt generator!!

Cold air sweeps through the entire Grandcypher, cold enough that if the ship were alive on its own, it would definitely shiver. With the weather being close to unpredictable nowadays, Djeeta has made sure to check up on every single one of her friends, even the ones who are lucky enough to be proficient in controlling the fire element. She hugs her coat closer when another gust of wind comes by, a faint smoke accompanying her breath. A warm drink would be nice, she thinks, and she picks up her pace as she goes to the last few rooms to finish her routine with the image of a full cup of hot chocolate in mind.

Her ears then catch the sound of people arguing from one particular bedroom, which door is slightly ajar. Warily approaching the room, she finds out that there are only two voices. Even though she highly values privacy, it sounds like whatever’s being argued about happens to be something urgent, and she steels herself to be the mediator. The door creaks open further and she peeks inside, just about to greet the inhabitants of the room when she’s met with an awkward sight.

Athena and Medusa are on the bed, heads turned towards the door with gazes intense enough to make Djeeta squeak a little at the way they’re piercing her. Athena is sitting on the bed with Medusa somehow straddling her lap, hands raised up while Athena’s hands are holding her small wrists to keep them in the air. The crew captain chuckles nervously and simply assumes they’re having a tickle fight. Yes, they must be having a tickle fight.

“Uhh,” Djeeta voices out, scratching her cheek, “Hey guys.”

“What do you want?”  
“May I help you?”

The two responds in unison and Djeeta grins awkwardly, “Oh it’s nothing! I just thought you guys were having a fight or something but it seems like everything’s... okay?”

“Yeah, we’re okay. Now get out of here before I kick your a—” Medusa’s threat is cut off by a shush from Athena, and the earth primal levels a glare on her before continuing— _fixing_ her words, “... before I kick your _buttocks_.”

Athena sighs at Medusa’s antics, looking towards Djeeta in an apologetic manner, “I’m sorry for the disturbance, but indeed we’re alright. There’s no need to worry. This is just... a little game of ours.”

“... Ah, gotcha!” Djeeta raises her thumbs up as she lets out yet another awkward laugh, “I’ll be... on my way now!”

The captain closes the door shut behind her as quickly as possible and slaps both of her hands on her warm cheeks. It’s a tickle fight, all right. A tickle fight. She repeats the words under her breath as she jogs her way down the corridors to the rest of the rooms, planning to just end her round and return to her room immediately.

* * *

“Have you no shame?” Athena questions Medusa, now back to struggling with keeping Medusa’s hands up in the air.

“I don’t _care_ , Athena,” Medusa hisses, “Not when I’m turning into a popsicle here!”

“We can literally just _hold hands_ ,” Athena argues back, grunting as she adds a little more strength to push Medusa back and pin her down on the bed, with Medusa screeching as her back falls onto the bed, “It’ll still be warm.”

“But that won’t be enouuugh!” Medusa whines as she futilely attempts to tug her wrists free from Athena’s strong grip. She wriggles under the inescapable hold for a few more times until she groans in defeat. Her cheeks are puffed, eyes refusing to meet Athena’s to show that she’s mildly upset.

Getting into this situation is definitely not what Athena was expecting when Medusa casually walked into her room. She did expect Medusa to be seeking for some sort of warmth due to the apparent chilly air, but definitely not to the extent of needing so _much_ that she wanted to put her hands underneath Athena’s sweater. The request completely caught her by surprise, and she thought Medusa was just playing with her at first until she confirmed that Medusa was actually serious about it.

There’s so much warmth Athena can offer in other forms of contact, of course. And it’s totally beyond her that Medusa’s first idea of getting warmed up is by putting her hands beneath her sweater. Indeed, it _must_ be much warmer underneath her clothing, but Athena feels her heartbeat going at so many miles per second at the mere imagination of it. And so she’s been rejecting the request, because her chest is starting to become a bit painful due to the thumps of her heart.

But looking at Medusa like this, Athena quietly sighs. It’s unusual for Medusa to simply give up—at least, she’d still be rambling to defend herself, but now she’s fallen silent and been refusing to even look at Athena in the eyes. Athena glances at Medusa’s fists, which are opening and closing—repeating the motions so that her hands aren’t going to become stiff.

And that’s where the silence is broken, strangely by Athena, “Is it really not going to be enough?”

“... I told you. Even now, you’re warming me up, right?” Medusa responds, eyes still looking to the side, “I can only barely feel it.”

Athena’s body has been trained to adjust its temperature as required, and because of that, she can’t really tell just how cold the air actually is. With another sigh, she releases Medusa’s wrists and pushes herself back into a sitting position, pressing a hand on her chest to calm her heart down. Medusa also settles herself in a sitting position, curiously watching Athena with a frown on her face.

“Alright,” Athena breathes out, finally able to look at Medusa’s eyes (which have widened in utter disbelief when Athena gave the green light), “But on one condition.”

“... What? Just tell me,” Medusa grits her teeth and rubs her hands together—maybe next time Athena should also remind her to wear something that’s not _sleeveless_ when the temperature has clearly been dropping from night to night.

“Do not try anything funny,” Athena raises her index finger, “That’s all.”

“Oh wow, that’s so... easy,” Medusa raises an eyebrow, “Then again it’s you we’re talking about.”

“Right...” Athena scratches the side of her neck. She watches as Medusa scoots closer to her and then stretches her hands forward to take Medusa’s hands in hers. Yet to her surprise, Medusa pulls her hands back out of her reach, and Athena looks at her with a questioning gaze.

“W-wait, I’m...” Medusa trails off, the color of her cheeks turning into a faint shade of red, “... I’m not making you uncomfortable, am I?”

Athena is taken aback by Medusa’s reaction—after all that struggle, Medusa actually _asks_ her this. But still, she understands. In a desperate situation like that, words aren’t exactly easy to blurt out. Of course, what Medusa’s requesting isn’t making her feel uncomfortable; she’d have told Medusa to leave her room if that were the case.

“No, not at all,” Athena answers, feeling her cheeks go up in temperature, “I’m just not used to... this extent of physical contact.”

“You’re not lying, right?” Medusa slowly puts her hands in Athena’s own, warmth creeping up her arms when she does so.

“I’d never lie to you,” Athena smiles sheepishly as she gently guides Medusa’s hands under her sweater, eyes suddenly unsure of where to look.

Medusa inhales sharply when she finally receives the warmth she’s been seeking for—it’s just as she expected, and how pleased she is to know that she’s been right all along. When Athena releases her hands, however, she just notices that they’re placed right on Athena’s abdomen, and the realization causes her hands to tremble slightly.

It’s getting a bit _too_ warm now that her body somehow decides to exude more heat than usual (why only now?).

Still, Medusa is relishing herself in the comfort Athena is providing her with a small smile on her face.

“... Is it good?” Athena speaks quietly, suddenly taking interest in Glafkos’ bedding at one corner of the room.

The way the question is worded causes Medusa’s ears to burn, and she flinches at it, inevitably causing her hands to graze Athena’s skin lightly; an action to which the taller woman reacts with a small noise at the back of her throat. Medusa silently curses her very own ears for catching the sound and she swears she just heard her heart explode right after. She only dares to keep her eyes focused on where her hands are, not even wanting to _see_ how Athena looks right at the moment. But swallowing the lump in her throat, she still manages to answer the question, “G-good. It’s... it’s good.”

“Okay... okay,” Athena nods slightly, hiding the lower half of her face with the back of her hand.

“... Yeah, this is... this is p-pretty nice,” Medusa chuckles, trying to somehow fend off the awkwardness in the air.

“Um, I’m sorry about that,” Athena pauses, waiting until Medusa looks up at her to continue, “... It kind of tickled.”

 _Do not_ , Medusa muses, _do not say that with that expression for goodness’ sake_.

“I-it’s fine,” Medusa immediately breaks the eye contact—anywhere but Athena’s face, she tells herself.

Medusa swears the temperature of the room has somehow shot up—is it Athena’s doing, or is it just her? Then again, Athena’s not showing any sign of spell usage, so it must be the latter and she’s not exactly pleased with the answer. This much warmth can definitely allow her to last through the night, but she refuses to pull her hands away. At least, she doesn’t want to for just a little longer.

“You know,” Athena starts, “I can never truly tell how cold it is for others unless the temperature drops fast enough that my body doesn’t adjust in time.”

“Yeah? No wonder,” Medusa sighs at the explanation, “Trust me, I wouldn’t have asked for something this stupid if I could deal with it just by holding your hands.”

“I didn’t think it was stupid,” Athena giggles softly, “A little odd, but not stupid. I’m just glad I can be of help.”

“Boo! Just say it was weird, silly owl,” Medusa sticks her tongue out at Athena, who returns the gesture with a small smile, “Besides there’s nobody else I can ask for help when it comes down to this.”

“I see,” Athena gives Medusa an understanding smile, joy filling her heart at the idea that Medusa relies on her for this matter.

“I-it’s not like I’m only used to your warmth or anything!” Medusa blurts out as she finally pulls her hands back, fixing the hem of Athena’s sweater, “It’s... r-really not like that.”

With a chuckle, Athena brings her hand up and ruffles Medusa’s hair, earning a groan from the smaller woman who oddly enough doesn’t move away from the touch. One of Medusa’s snakes promptly springs up to life and starts to playfully nibble on her hand. Athena understands what the snake is trying to tell her, which is to take her hand off Medusa’s head, and soon removes her hand away only to have the snake nuzzle her palm, asking for a pat on the head.

“... Pretty sure I didn’t tell you to do that but whatever,” Medusa grumbles, staring up at her snake that’s being patted by the smiling golden-haired woman.

“You’re kind,” Athena gently says, watching the snake return to being the strands of Medusa’s hair.

“Heh, what does that make you, then?” Medusa presses her palm onto Athena’s forehead and gives it a slight push.

“I’m only doing what I think is right,” Athena tilts her head, getting another push from Medusa.

 _If I tell you that you’re so much more than that,_ Medusa frowns a bit, _will you believe me? Will you accept it?_

“Well,” Athena takes the hand that's been resting on her forehead in her own, “Are you warm enough now?”

“... Yeah. Yeah, this is enough,” Medusa stares at the way Athena’s hand easily covers hers, “What, are you really that eager for me to get out of the room?”

“I was just making sure,” Athena blinks, her thumb subtly brushing the back of Medusa’s palm, “You may stay for as long as you wish.”

“... And I was just messing with you,” Medusa laughs, more out of relief than anything else, “I’m calling Medusiana over then, if I can stay here as long as I want.”

The suggestion causes Athena’s eyebrows to shoot up in surprise, and she immediately checks around her plain bedroom. There’s almost nothing there, but she wonders if Medusiana will be comfortable in a room that’s not Medusa’s. She’s not sure how Medusa’s room looks like, but she knows it’s much more... fun and decorated with cute ornaments.

Medusa notices the thoughtful look in Athena’s eyes, one that the woman tends to show when she’s contemplating about things that are... most likely trivial. But Medusa finds it endearing, that look. She always waits for a little bit, taking her sweet time staring at the faces Athena subtly makes when she’s doing this. She’s gotten better at noticing the expressions, to her delight; the slightly lifted eyebrows, the gradually deepening frown, the way Athena bites her lower lip when she begins to think way harder—she knows all of them.

And she may have taken too much of a liking to them.

“She’ll like it here, don’t worry,” at the voice, Athena snaps her head back to look at Medusa, “She likes you. Plus it’s real toasty here.”

“If you say so,” Athena rubs the back of her neck, “I just kind of thought your room might be... nicer than this.”

“How would you know about my room?” Medusa leans forward and squints at Athena, “You’ve never even been there.”

“... Is it... not?” Athena blinks, a faint red color painting her cheeks.

“Don’t you think you should see for yourself?” Medusa huffs, and with a quieter voice she continues, “Come over sometime.”

The sudden invitation feels very Medusa-like, and it brings a wide smile to Athena’s face. Leave it to Medusa to drive the conversation to unexpected places. Athena stifles a laugh and responds accordingly, “Okay. I’ll be sure to visit soon.”

Medusa makes sure to look at the smile long enough for it to be etched in her memory. It’s one of the only times she doesn’t will herself to look away, simply taking in the view and taking pride in the fact that it’s reserved only for her. She lightly squeezes Athena’s hand, silently hoping that the taller woman doesn’t notice, but the squeeze that Athena returns tells her otherwise and she finally looks away in embarrassment.

Now that she takes her time to look around, the room isn’t as bad as Athena thinks, actually—the bookshelf is placed just right, the wardrobe looks lively with the bright red battle armor being put right next to it, and Glafkos’ bedding looks rather cute for such a straitlaced owl. It just seems a little lonely sometimes. Much like Athena herself, but Medusa knows she doesn’t mind too much about that sort of thing.

Medusa only wishes to be able to let Athena know that her room is comfortable because she’s right there, radiating so much warmth that Medusa feels at home—that it’s precisely why Medusa can ask of ‘odd’ things, or so Athena dubs them.

... One day, perhaps, one day in their distant future.


	9. Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s just a game, Athena,” Medusa hisses, fingers trembling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi this took WAYYYYYY longer than necessary and it sure got WAAAAAYYYY longer than necessary lmao but yeah i was contemplating about some things when i wrote this. based on a prompt i got from the prompt generator. this one's got a dash of nezhabaal bc why not aha aha aha~
> 
> anyway please enjoy!

How did she get herself in this situation, exactly?

How did she end up sitting right next to Athena, on a fallen log at the top of a steep cliff overlooking a village with their fingers somehow touching but never feeling close enough? They’ve talked about meaningless things, with the full moon staring down at them as if she’s spectating everything; every little movement Medusa makes, every little lie she slips in to avoid the true matter at hand. But of course, sooner or later, she’ll have to bring it up and deal with it. Or else...

_Why did I do that when I knew those guys would pick her?_

Medusa lets out a particularly long sigh as she thinks back to her little _game_ with the primal pals earlier that day.

* * *

Every once in a while, the primal pals would plan a reunion just to catch up with things they’d been up to. Medusa would talk about her adventures with the Grandcypher crew, Baal would mostly stay silent but he’d talk about his gigs when any of them asked about it, Nezha would bring books he figured his friends would like as gifts, and Satyr would bring snacks for them and go along with whatever conversation was going on. They would usually make the most out of the reunion day, but for some unknown reason, the conversations fell short this time and they seemed to be going on about their own business. Except for Satyr.

“Guys, aren’t you all bored~?” Satyr said, the last word coming out in a sing-song tune as she rolled around on the wooden floor of their little hideout.

“Kinda,” Medusa let out a huff. “It’s just a slow day, I guess.”

“Is it, really?” Nezha raised an eyebrow, finally peeling his eyes off the book he was holding.

“Yeah, well, sure wouldn’t feel like it for the two of you,” Medusa shrugged, tossing a small pebble at Baal’s head. The man was so immersed in another one of his sessions that he couldn’t be too bothered by the rock, and simply clicked his tongue without even looking away from his guitar. At least he provided some nice noise in the room, so Medusa chose not to bother him any further.

“Okay!” Satyr sat herself up and beamed at every single one of her friends in the room. “How about we play a game?”

“Oh? Sounds great. Let me find a nice place to stop,” Nezha grinned at the idea and immediately returned to his book, eyes visibly scanning down the lines and closed the book after slipping a bookmark in-between the pages. “... Right. Now tell me more about this game.”

Medusa slid down from her seat and settled herself on the floor, forming a circle with Satyr and Nezha. She frowned at Baal, who had his back turned towards the others and tossed another pebble at him, a bigger one this time. “Come join the fun, catboy.”

“... Shut up already,” Baal grunted, scooting away from his previous spot near his friends. “I can hear everything from here.”

“Alright, you can stay there, but can you face us so that we know you’re in it too?” Nezha asked with a smile.

The sound of guitar strings being plucked came to a stop as Baal took a glance over his shoulder. His silence seemed to be that of a contemplating one as the others waited for another one of his snappy responses when someone disturbed his session, but none came as he turned around in his seat, silently continuing to play the guitar while facing the other three.

“Yay! Everyone’s in!” Satyr clapped her hands.

Medusa shook her head in disbelief, squinting at Baal the entire time. “... Whipped.”

A snort came from Satyr, while Nezha tried his best to bite back a proud smile as Baal’s playing sounded slightly off right after the comment. It didn’t take long for him to pick up the groove once again, but the fact that he had nothing to say about the comment proved that he knew he didn’t have anything to defend himself with and opted to drown out his embarrassment with the sound of his guitar.

“How about...” Satyr made a pause to tug at everyone’s curiosity, and she continued with a grin on her face after noticing that her pause worked, “... each of us pick something like a dare, and the rest gets to choose who this player can do the dare on? Oh and the choices aren’t limited to the ones present in this room, by the way! So long as we’re sure they know the person, we can choose anyone.”

“Oh, a dare-only game?” Nezha displayed a confident grin. “Never heard of it, but it sounds fun.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Medusa casually gestured for Satyr to continue with the game.

“Alright! Starting with me, then!” Satyr raised her hand up in the air excitedly. “Let’s see... give me someone to kiss on the cheek!”

Medusa brought a finger up to her chin to think of names in her head before realization hit her. “Hey wait, isn’t that too easy for you?”

“Aww, I get shy too, you know~!” Satyr put both of her hands on her reddening cheeks. “I may love hugging people but I’ve never smooched anyone so it’d be a first for me.”

“Well, it’d be even easier if we picked anyone in the room,” Nezha’s grin grew wider as he blurted out a name he’d been thinking of. “So I vote for Vyrn.”

There was immediate silence (even Baal’s playing had stopped), and it was only broken when Medusa burst into laughter at the idea. The small primal fell backwards at the intensity of her laughter as Satyr could only look at Nezha in utter disbelief. Surprise was clearly written on her face, though, and Medusa laughed even more when she looked at Satyr’s bewildered expression.

“I think I’m gonna vote for Vyrn too,” Baal said over Medusa’s giggling fit, and Satyr _finally_ let out a noise—a mere gasp, but it was still noise. And Medusa laughed again.

“Not you too...” Satyr slowly shook her head. “You guys are joking, aren’t you?”

“W-well,” Medusa responded as she managed to pause her laughter for a moment. “This is a—pfft— _a game_ , right?” She put up two fingers in front of her face with a snicker. “Two out of three already voted for Vyrn, so I can’t help you there.”

“... F-fine, fine! Challenge accepted!” Satyr raised her fist in the air, but her ears drooped soon after. “Reeeally would prefer to stay out of trouble knowing the members of his fanclub though.”

“Eh, you’ll be fine,” Medusa patted Satyr’s shoulder, a toothy grin on her face. “Nobody out there knows you’ve never smooched anyone so it’ll just look natural.”

“It’s just not going to be easy for yourself,” Nezha explained as he ruffled Satyr’s hair. “Now that that’s settled, may I take this as my turn?”

“I just noticed something.” Medusa squinted at the tall man. “You’re surprisingly eager for this, old geezer.”

“Hey, I’m curious, can’t help it,” Nezha said. “So, give me someone to write a poem about. I’ll also read it out loud to them.”

“... Eh, I’m just gonna give you Baal,” at the casual statement, Baal shot a glare towards Medusa. “What? Isn’t it challenging? I mean, thinking up of nice things to say about you would be one heck of a chore.”

“You little...” Baal’s sentence was interrupted by Satyr’s squeal, and he shifted his glare towards the latter.

“Me too! I’m voting for Baal!” Satyr raised both of her hands up. “Two out of three!”

“... I guess that’s that,” Nezha shrugged, a small smile on his face as he looked at Baal. “Look forward to it, Baal.”

Clicking his tongue, Baal squeezed his eyes shut and let his fingers do a slow dance on the strings of his guitar. As much as he tried to suppress it, his pale complexion wasn’t doing a very good job with hiding the redness of his cheeks. Beside him, Hannibal seemed very pleased with the outcome of the situation, his tail swaying from side to side along with the music ringing throughout the room.

“Yeah well, I know you’re trying to act cool, catboy,” Medusa chimed over the soft melody. “But it’s your turn now.”

“Pass,” Baal muttered with furrowed eyebrows.

“You’ve gotta pick something, Baal!” Satyr said with a pout, which immediately turned into a sickeningly sweet smile as something seemed to dawn upon her, “... Or _we’ll_ pick for you.”

“... _So_ annoying,” Baal scrunched his nose as he pressed his palm flat against the strings, effectively stopping the ringing melody. “I’ll write and play a song. Give me a name.”

“Man, I didn’t know you were so uncreative,” Medusa rolled her eyes, one of her snakes springing up to life to deflect a small pebble being thrown her way. “Since you’re stealing Nezha’s idea, why not write and play for him?”

Nezha snickered, hiding his crooked smile behind his knuckle as his shoulders shook. Baal squinted at the man, silently hoping that he would vote for a different name before Satyr opened her mouth and sealed his fate because he knew for a fact that the fire primal would follow suit. His shoulders gradually slumped as Nezha didn’t seem to show signs of stopping his giggles, and succumbed to what he brought upon himself for not trying harder to think of a different dare.

“Medussy, you’re so smart!” Satyr clapped her hands together, ignoring Baal’s loud defeated sigh. “Nezha it is!”

“... Guess now we both have something to look forward to,” Nezha met Baal’s eyes at last, an unreadable look in his eyes. Baal kept mum and their gazes locked for a few seconds longer than necessary before he returned his attention back to his guitar. The two women looked back and forth between them, trying to decipher the silent message they shared.

“... What the heck?” Medusa expressed her confusion out loud as she nudged Satyr’s elbow, who shrugged her shoulders in response with an equally puzzled expression on her face.

“It’s your turn, Medusa,” Nezha gestured at the silver-haired woman, seemingly taking a different context to Medusa’s question on purpose.

“That’s not what I was asking but whatever,” Medusa sighed, leaning herself against a sleeping Medusiana’s body. “... Give me someone to kiss at midnight.”

Medusa could hear a huff coming from Baal along with the sound of him grumbling about something along the lines of ‘uncreative’, but she ignored it. Completely.

“A kiss? On the lips?” Satyr’s smile grew when Medusa lazily nodded in affirmation, squealing at the positive response.

“Ooh, getting bold, are we?” Nezha grinned, rubbing his finger against his chin in a thoughtful motion as he leaned forward with piqued interest. “Hmm, there are plenty of names to pick when it comes down to you.”

“You literally had more names to pick for Satyr but you came up with _Vyrn_ , so why think so hard now?” Medusa said, catching Satyr’s ear twitch at the mention of her dare.

“She’s right, why think so hard now?” Baal echoed, still playing his guitar as the three turned towards him, rather surprised that he agreed with Medusa. “I vote for Athena.”

Medusa immediately sat up straight, her body on full alert and was so ready to throw an entire boulder at Baal, who had a _wicked_ smirk on his face when he ended his sentence. He was definitely laughing inside; she knew it, because Hannibal was grinning her way oh-so-smugly. Medusa felt her loudly beating heart drop to her stomach as she looked at her two other friends, finding that they had the same knowing look in their eyes.

“H-h-hold on! No! No, no, not her, not _her_!” Medusa squeaked out, heat flooding her cheeks in no time as she frantically waved her hands in front of her. “A-anyone but that woman!”

“Backing out now, snakeface?” Baal said with an amused tone, his playing becoming a little more intense as his excitement took over. “Where did all that bravado go off to?”

“Keeping all of it to kick the heck out of your ass!” Medusa snapped at the taller man, who only gained even more confidence at the response.

“Now, now~” Satyr pulled Medusa into a tight hug, her smile spreading wide still, “Why anyone but her?”

“You _know_ why,” Medusa squished Satyr’s cheeks together, earning a long whine from the happy-go-lucky primal. “You know _very well_ why!”

“Just tell her it’s a dare if you’re so embarrassed about it,” Nezha shrugged. “It’s already obviously three out of three, Medusa.”

“ _Y-you!_ You said there were plenty of names to pick!” Medusa pointed an accusing finger at Nezha, her face growing redder at the fact that she was playing a losing game.

“I did, but Baal narrowed it down to one choice right away,” Nezha raised a finger to put an emphasis on his statement. “A perfect one, too.”

“... I’m going to _crush_ you when all of this is over,” Medusa hissed at Baal, who picked away at his guitar strings without a care in the world. Satyr patted her head in an attempt to soothe her, but it proved to be futile as Medusa could only think of the impending kiss that would have to happen. She _could_ lie about doing the dare, but she would be embarrassing herself knowing that her friends were really going to put everything into the game.

Golden swirls occupied her mind for the rest of the reunion, and all she could do was lie down next to Medusiana, blankly staring at the ceiling of their hideout while only contributing very little to the discussion happening mostly between Satyr and Nezha. All the fight left her when she realized she couldn’t change their minds no matter how much she yelled at the three—one thing in common that she noticed in their gazes was the silent agreement that she’d take it as it was, sooner or later. And surely enough, she did.

She just couldn’t stop cursing herself because of her mistake of a choice.

* * *

“Say, Medusa?” Athena’s voice brings Medusa back to the present.

“Hm? What is it?” Medusa responds quietly, kicking her legs to and fro as she anxiously taps her finger on the wooden surface of the log they were sitting on.

“Are you feeling okay?” Athena leans forward, tilting her head slightly to look at Medusa’s face.

 _No way, it can’t be_ that _obvious_.

“... I-I’m fine, why do you ask?” Medusa turns her head away, her heartbeat beginning to pick up speed again.

“We’ve been out here for quite some time,” Athena says. “Are you not cold?”

 _Oh. That_.

“Nope. It’s not all that cold, surprisingly,” Medusa rubs the back of her neck. “Maybe it’s because you’re here.”

The statement sounded a bit more... _intimate_ than she’s intended it to be, and Medusa quickly averts her gaze up to the moon. It came so naturally from her, for some reason. There’s a small possibility that Athena has been emanating heat ever since they walked out of the ship and the question may have been her subtly asking if it’s warm enough for Medusa. But there’s also the possibility that Athena doesn’t even notice what she’s doing—which is the case most of the time.

“Alright, if you say so,” Athena nods, Medusa aware of her every movement from her peripheral vision. “We’ll have to return soon, but still if you’re cold, do let me know.”

“Sure,” Medusa mumbles absentmindedly, all her attention going to the fact that they’ll be going back soon. Thinking back to the game, Medusa feels her heart throb against her ribcage painfully. She’s planned it out, she swears she has; get Athena outside with her for moon-viewing, talk to her regarding the game, and see if they can... somehow come to an agreement.

And yet despite the plan she’s prepared, she still hasn’t talked about the game at all; in fact, she may have been quiet most of the time and Athena has been the one starting conversations. This will surely be of good use for the taller woman to learn how to take initiative in social interactions, but it is in no way _a progress_ for Medusa.

“The moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” Athena mutters, snapping Medusa out of her reverie.

“Huh? Oh, right. Yeah, it’s pretty,” Medusa blinks rapidly and wraps her mind around the question before she lets it fly over her head. She takes a deep inhale, using the chance Athena’s given her by opening the conversation. “Hey, um, Athena? There’s something I need to talk about,” says Medusa as she fiddles with her fingers.

“I’m listening,” Athena nods, glancing towards Medusa’s tiny figure.

“I... uh, there’s this game. That Satyr suggested the primal pals play earlier,” Medusa clutches onto the fabric of her pants. Her palms are becoming a bit too clammy to her liking. “It’s like a modified game of truth or dare; someone chooses a dare, and the rest of the players get to choose who this someone does the dare on.”

Athena runs a hand down her braided hair. “Please continue.”

“And then Satyr was... ugh, you know what, I’m not gonna mince words. I’d talk too much if I did. So, the dare I picked was to kiss someone at midnight,” Medusa inhales deeply and continues, “And my friends picked you as my target.”

Crickets are suddenly being too loud, Medusa notes. Way too loud, even the sound of leaves rustling behind them is deafening. She wants to cover her ears, _afraid_ of Athena’s response—if there’ll be any at all. Too bad her hands are refusing to move, frozen in place much like her entire body as she stares into the distance, the scenery somewhat out of focus while her thoughts begin to race.

“That’s...” Athena starts, but Medusa cuts her off before she can say anything further.

“Stupid, right?” Medusa sighs as she leans forward and buries her face in her hands, now finally moving at her will after Athena responded (which, wasn’t that much of a response, really). “It’s just a game, though, not a serious thing, so I can just lie to them and leave it at that.”

“I wouldn’t call it stupid, just... rather bold. But yes, as you have said—it’s just a game,” Athena gently takes Medusa’s wrists in her hands and pulls them down to get a proper look at her face. “So come here.”

The red hue on Athena’s cheeks betrays the steadiness of her voice when Medusa looks back at her, not doing any better with hiding the blush on her face. What went on in Medusa’s mind was that she expected Athena to play along with the ‘lie’ idea, but the look in her eyes is the exact opposite of that expectation. And she knows it’s clearly not easy for both of them.

_So why isn’t she taking the easier way?_

“W-why?” Medusa blinks rapidly, finding herself unable to tear her gaze away as she scoots away a bit out of reflex. “We don’t have to! It’s embarrassing!”

“It’s been bothering you, has it not?” Athena squeezes Medusa’s wrists. “And I’d rather you not lie.”

“Y-you’re kidding me...” Medusa swallows a lump in her throat.

“Surely you can tell from the look in my eyes?” Athena frowns slightly.

“... Urgh, fine. _Fine_!” Medusa pulls her hands away from Athena’s grip and grabs onto Athena’s collar, curling her fingers into the fabric so tightly that her knuckles begin to turn white. “I _know_ I’m not gonna be able to escape this.” Medusa sighs in exasperation at the unwavering woman in front of her. “... How can you be so casual about this?”

“I’m... not, actually,” Athena bites her lower lip. “I simply appreciate your dedication.”

“Dedication? What dedication?” Medusa frowns in confusion. “I was planning to _lie_.”

“Then was it a necessity for you to bring me outside like this if you were only planning to talk about it and then lie to your friends?” Athena’s stern voice causes Medusa to wince. “I’ll see it through with you to the end.”

“It’s just a _game_ , Athena,” Medusa hisses, fingers trembling.

“Indeed it is,” Athena puts a hand on Medusa’s shoulder, the latter visibly stiffening at the contact. “So why do you hesitate?”

Medusa feels like the words she used against Satyr earlier came flying back to hit her in the face. In no way would they work against Athena, and she was fully aware of it—she was only trying to use them out of desperation.

_I shouldn’t even have tried._

“... Haha,” Medusa lets out a nervous chuckle as she gathers what little is left of her courage to ask a joke question, “What, do you want me to kiss you that badly?”

“Well, would you?” Athena whispers, her cheeks flushing red even more when she leans a bit closer. “... Because I wouldn’t mind.”

Medusa’s breath hitches at the comment, practically feeling the redness on her face. How Athena can even say such a thing without missing a beat is a wonder to her. It may be because Athena’s so used to being honest with herself—but really, what was she implying by saying that she wouldn’t mind being kissed by Medusa? Why must Athena confuse her so when the one who never hesitates to speak her mind out loud is the blonde? Before more and more thoughts manifest in her mind and prolong this strange tension between them, Medusa shakes her head and grits her teeth, hissing her next words. “Sh-shut up... just close your eyes.”

Sure enough, Athena closes her eyes just as she’s told. Once that’s done, Medusa lets go of the collar and rests her hands on Athena’s shoulders instead in an attempt to calm her nerves down. She makes sure not to dig her fingers into the shirt—it’s a bad habit of hers and it’s never proved to be any good in controlling her overwhelming emotions.

The fact that Athena isn’t seeing her face gives a small boost to her confidence and she slowly begins to lean closer, feeling Athena’s warm breath brush against her face. Their noses are close to touching, but Medusa takes her time to study Athena’s face since she doesn’t quite feel the attention on her. Athena has long eyelashes, fluttering ever so lightly—somewhat comforting to know that someone like her can let her nerves get to her too, Medusa thinks. Medusa’s gaze drifts lower to Athena’s nose, finding herself wanting to pinch it... or kiss the tip of it. Maybe kiss her forehead too while she’s at it, and the rosy cheeks are getting even more tempting each— _wait, no no,_ Medusa takes in a sharp breath in a pitiful attempt to ease her thumping heartbeat. It’s the lips. Just the lips, she tells herself.

To prevent any more distraction, Medusa squeezes her eyes shut, tilting her head slightly when she starts to feel Athena’s breath tickling her lips. The jarring difference in temperature causes her to shudder, and before her courage starts to seep out of her skin along with the little bit of cold that’s left in her body, she finally closes the distance between them.

It genuinely surprises Medusa that Athena has such soft lips. A change of pace, and Medusa welcomes it. The taller woman has always had a rough touch to her from centuries of performing her duties, yet even so, she remains gentle still. There’s a rush of electricity that runs down Medusa’s spine after the sensation of their lips touching finally registers in her mind. Strange... it’s strange, the way her body reacts; almost as if she’s merely fooling herself by saying that this is just a game.

That this doesn’t have anything to do with the butterflies in her stomach.

That this doesn't have anything to do with the loud drumming of Athena’s heart that she can feel against her palm.

And again, before her thoughts go astray further, Medusa pulls back slowly—slow enough to let her lips still linger on Athena’s for a fleeting moment when they open their eyes, meeting each other’s half-lidded gazes. Medusa only hears her heartbeat in her ears, staring into Athena’s violet eyes in a daze. She itches to say something, but all she can muster is a few choked words. “Your... your eyes, th-they’re...”

 _Beautiful_.

“... N-nevermind,” Medusa bites her lower lip and shakes her head, removing her hands away from Athena to hug her own body as she looks down to the ground. What is she supposed to do when her chest is swelling with so many emotions to the point where it hurts?

 _How much of it was_ just _a game?_

“Pardon...?” Athena finally voices out. “Were you... saying something?”

“Wh—y-you didn’t hear that?” Medusa’s eyes widen as she swiftly turns her head towards Athena’s direction.

“I-I wasn’t really paying attention, I’m sorry,” Athena rubs the back of her neck, seemingly still stunned by what just happened.

_... Thank goodness._

“Oh, uh, it’s fine. It wasn’t anything important,” Medusa sighs as relief washes over her, noting the slight stutter that’s not very characteristic of Athena. “Was just asking if that would’ve been enough for the game, but I guess the answer’s obvious.”

“Right... right, yes, that should’ve been enough,” Athena chews on her lower lip, looking as if she’s tossing something around within her mind as her cheeks become more and more flushed. “I think... it’s best if we go back now.”

_That wasn’t what you were gonna say, was it?_

“Can that wait?” Medusa faces up to the moon again, hand absentmindedly moving to reunite the tips of her fingers with Athena’s. “Just a little longer.”

“... If you say so,” Athena quietly replies. Whatever she was going to say, she decides to swallow it, perhaps saving it for another day or perhaps letting it be buried deep inside indefinitely.

And of course, Medusa notices it. Athena’s gestures have been nothing short of awkward, and it’s killing her. She has to clear the air—she wants to. “You know what, I’m just gonna apologize,” Medusa sighs, hiding her face behind her free hand. “I shouldn’t be playing with something as important as a kiss on the lips, so I’m... sorry.”

“Medusa, I said I wouldn’t mind, did I not?” Athena calls her name (has it always been music to Medusa’s ears?) for emphasis. “So it’s alright. I’m just... feeling a bit out of it.”

“... Out of it? Don’t tell me you’re the one getting sick after fussing over my getting cold and all that,” Medusa frowns deeply as she glances to her side. “Ah, I get it. You suggested going back now because you’re feeling sick, right? We can go now if that’s the case.”

“Oh no, no, but thank you for your concern,” Athena lets out a breathy chuckle, whatever weighed upon her heart finally lifted. “... I suppose I just wanted to say that it was a little more overwhelming than I thought it would be.”

“That, huh? That’s a normal thing,” Medusa eases herself as the atmosphere gradually becomes less heavy. “I mean that was my first kiss so I also wasn’t sure how to... y’know, handle the aftereffects? Even if it was just a dumb game.”

“It was my first kiss, too,” there’s a smile in Athena’s voice, and Medusa feels a crooked smile creeping up her own lips—because of Athena’s smile and that statement. She _really_ itches to comment about how obvious it already is without the reveal, but opts to stay silent. “And I concur. I’m surprised that there was so much to process over such a simple display of affection.”

“I think you’re the only one that can call that ‘simple’,” Medusa chuckles in amusement. She then swings her dangling legs back and forth, no longer sensing any unwanted tension between them. “... So anyway, don’t tell anyone else, alright? I’ll only tell the primal pals that I did the game and that’s that.”

“Of course, but...” Athena questions. “... wouldn’t Satyr like to hear more?”

“She’ll stop when I tell her to, trust me. With a little struggle, but that’s not a problem,” Medusa lets out an exasperated sigh. “Everything beyond that just stays between us, yeah?”

Medusa doesn’t know if Athena understands what she’s implying. She doesn’t think that she needs to hear a confirmation of that—all she needs to hear is the soft ‘yes’ that comes from Athena, which becomes the end of their conversation for the short time they spend looking at the moon. There’s a small piece of hope in her heart, though; a small, but bright piece of hope.

That Athena understands, or better yet, thinks the same about something that Medusa realized once her anxiety was cleared.

That it stopped being a ‘ _just a game_ ’ the moment their lips met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do feel free to interpret athena's "the moon is beautiful tonight" the way you want ;)


	10. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> —Why am I thinking about her this much?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyo last year of college is H E C C and i actually planned to write something else for this chapter but then i got stucc halfway thru that first idea so i decided to scrap it... *clown emoji* so sorry that i went silent for a few months sjsdhfks anyway happy valentine's day everyone! please enjoy: Them

Long hours always feel so short when one is busy working on something. There are no deadlines in this particular case, but it just doesn’t feel right to do it sooner than she did or, in the worst case scenario, a day after. Chocolates are best when they’re still fresh, and since some of her friends can’t come visit, she’s pinpointed the best time to start making them so that they’ll still be in good condition when they’ve arrived to her friends.

Medusa wants things to go her way, and she would always make sure it all goes smoothly. The list of names on her desk has been filled with check marks except for one, and she’s been racking her brain about how to get it done as well. After all, there’s no address to send it to, at least for the moment.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were assigned to that mission too…?” Medusa sighs, plopping face-down on her bed after changing into her clean clothes. Medusiana slithers towards her and nudges her arm up so that she can lay her head next to Medusa.

It has been a week since Athena left for a mission somewhere with a few other crewmates. Nobody can tell where they went off to, since Djeeta has said that the location is a classified area and only those directly involved are allowed to know. Perhaps because it has something to do with an ambassador or something; Medusa didn’t really catch the rest of it.

_I don’t care._

She shifts to lie on her side, facing her desk right in front of the window. The light from outside shines against the lone untouched small box of chocolates on the unusually messy desk, greeting card still empty save for a name written on the top left corner. It’s unlike her to think so hard about what to write, but she doesn’t want to entirely blame herself for this loss of words. Writing for friends _shouldn_ ’ _t_ be so difficult, considering that she’s sent out the sweets she made for the others with their greeting cards not in a blank slate. And it’s not like Athena is that difficult of a person anyway—she’s simple and straightforward. _Too_ straightforward.

Which is something Medusa isn’t.

“I’m gonna chew her out when she comes back.” Medusa clenches her fist and punches into the mattress. “It’s been a while since the last time she experienced my wrath head-on, right Medusiana?” Medusa huffs as she rubs the top of Medusiana’s head. “I’ll make sure she never leaves without notice again, that idiot.”

There’s a squeeze within her chest, almost hard enough to be painful. She doesn’t like it when it comes—she has to do something and keep her mind off it. Fresh air would probably help, she thinks, so she gets up and hops off her bed to open the window.

The wind caresses her face gently, lifting her hair up and allows the tendrils to dance in the wind. She knows her little snakes always enjoy the wind running against their bodies, and it makes her smile from the bottom of her heart for the first time today. Closing her eyes to enjoy the feeling of the wind embracing her body, Medusa takes a deep breath and begins thinking of what she wants to write down on the card. If she can just get that part of the chocolate sending process done right now, at least most of the weight on her shoulders will be lifted.

It’s difficult exactly because she’s not sure what to write out of the many options in mind. All this time she can just say the things she needs to tell Athena in person, but now that Athena’s currently not around when she needs to deliver something, she’s at a complete loss. The options range from a short message to her rambling about how Athena should’ve told her about going for a mission, which she kind of thinks twice about because she doesn’t want to sound too clingy or desperate for company but at the same time _that’s_ what she needs to say.

She expected the fire primal to be back at least in the early morning, but there have been no signs of anybody coming home from that mission for the day, considering that it’s already close to evening now. It bothers her so much that one box is still left there without a destination to deliver it to, and it just had to be _her_ of all people.

Behind her closed eyelids, she slowly begins to picture Athena’s back, standing tall with her hair flowing in the wind, still put up in her signature braids. She then thinks of her smile, the one that isn’t a rare sight for Medusa and sometimes followed up with a chuckle. Then of her eyes, the gentle ones that used to look at her with such pained expression when she was still chasing her around—

_—Why am I thinking about her this much?_

Medusa stops her train of thoughts and lets out a loud sigh. The fresh air can only do so much to keep her relaxed because at the end of the day, her mind will drift back to the woman whom this box of chocolates is addressed to. Irritation begins to build up in her loudly beating heart and she grits her teeth.

“You stupid, _stupid owl!_ ” Medusa’s voice raises in volume, hoping that the wind will carry her words to Athena, wherever she is right now. It’s almost laughable that if that were to actually happen, her response is probably just a tilt of her head and a question why Medusa thinks that way.

She knows Athena too well.

Too well it hurts.

But then the sound of an owl’s hoot reaches her ears, and her eyes shoot open.

Glafkos is there, staring at her with his eyes wide and his feathers pulled back as if in shock. He’s perched on the windowsill, a small package wrapped around his neck with a red ribbon. Medusa blinks back at him, brows furrowed in utter disbelief. “Y-you…! Why are you here?! Where’s Athena?!”

Not even answering with a hoot, Glafkos tugs on the ribbon around his neck, attempting to drive Medusa’s attention towards the package. He watches as Medusa takes the package in her hand, turning it around once, twice, and witnesses a blush forming on her cheeks at the sight of a greeting card on the back of the package. The ribbon around his neck is slowly becoming undone and he hoots lowly when a hand gently pats his head. Medusa’s eyes are practically glued to the package and by the time she realizes what she’s doing, Glafkos has gotten a little too comfortable with the pats and looks up at her expectantly when she immediately pulls her hand back.

_That’s actually kinda cute, what the heck._

“Wh-what’s with that look…?” Medusa frowns, “D-don’t ask for more, I’m not your owner.”

Ignoring Glafkos’ disappointed hoot, Medusa inspects the greeting card closely. It’s not rare for her to see Athena’s handwriting because she writes down all her battle strategies, but there’s just something different in the letters of the greeting card. As if there’s… emotion in it. Ridiculous as it sounds, but it really seems like it. There isn’t much written, but the irritation from before immediately dissipates at the sight of the familiar handwriting.

_To Medusa_

_I’m sorry I didn’t leave a note prior to my departure. I realized too late that I had run out of papers and we had to leave in a hurry since the situation was urgent._

_With what little ingredients we had here, I made you chocolates. Please take them as both a gift and a token of my apology._

_Happy Valentine’s Day, Medusa._

_-Athena_

Medusa touches the package to her forehead, her entire face burning with embarrassment. It almost feels like steam is puffing out of her ears, blood pumping from her heart way too fast to her liking. Taking a deep breath, she sits on the floor, carefully tugs on the card and takes it off the package—she’ll keep it. It’s a cute little paper, and she’s looking forward to teasing Athena about how stiff her writing looks in contrast to the design on the card. She catches a glimpse of a message on the back of the card too, which she could’ve easily missed if she’d decided to rip the package off instead.

“Man, how awkward.” Medusa chuckles as she takes a proper look at the message, and her smile falters at the sight.

_P.S. I wish I could be there with you._

Medusa was pretty sure her face couldn’t possibly get any hotter, but somehow Athena always manages to prove her wrong. “I could’ve missed this, you idiot…” Medusa whispers as she tightens her grip on the card. “I could’ve _missed_ this…!”

With a quick jump, Medusa gets back up to her feet, stomping her way to the desk and immediately taking out her pen. She slams down her own greeting card on the table and starts scribbling her message—she _knows_ what to say now. And she _will_ make sure Athena reads it.

Meanwhile, Medusiana nibbles on the package that Medusa has set aside on the bed, tearing off the wrappings to reveal a small transparent box filled with an assortment of chocolates. Medusa stops writing and walks over to take the box in her hands. “Thanks sweetie,” Medusa says, patting her giant pet’s snout as she picks up one of the chocolates and pops it in her mouth. “... Hmph, mine’s still better.”

She makes sure to add her comment about the chocolate on the card before sticking it on the top of the box. Looping her own ribbon around the box, she beckons for Glafkos to lean down and let her tie it around his neck. The owl, however, doesn’t obey her at all.

“... What, do you want chocolates too?” Medusa puts her hands on her hips. He still has the same look on his face from the moment she took her hand off his head, and then suddenly it clicks in her mind. “Oh, _fine_.”

Medusa reaches out once again to pat the top of Glafkos’ head, with the owl happily nuzzling her palm as he hops down the windowsill and allows Medusa to tie the ribbon around his neck. It’s kind of a strange feeling to see Glafkos being so pet-like because she usually sees him more like Athena’s guard instead of a pet. Not exactly the bad kind of strange though, it’s just so _new_.

“Take care, you.” Medusa scratches the spot under his chin; his favorite thing based on how often she sees Athena scratch that very same spot. “Tell Athena to take care of herself too.”

And with that, Glafkos sets off to the horizon, his wings silently flapping in the air. She watches him go, looking like a speck of dust fallen on white cotton. Now that it’s all said and done, she finally notices something—her room has gotten a little warmer despite the breeze, and she’s sure it’s one of Athena’s spells again.

“Funny, isn’t it?” Medusa says, feeding Medusiana a white chocolate from the box. “Sometimes she’s so clueless it’s unbelievable, but the next second, it’s like she can read my mind even if I’m not around her.”

* * *

The sky has turned to a reddish color as the sun is about to set. Athena watches the scenery from atop the tallest tree on the island, giving her a clear view of the sky and the island. It’s her usual view every evening, because it makes her feel at ease.

The mission will be over soon once they cross one more village. Her prediction was slightly off the mark, because she thought they could all go back to the Grandcypher earlier today. They had to delay their schedule from the previous village because of a sudden storm.

 _After a storm, the sky resembles her eyes even more_.

Her posture straightens when she spots a familiar silhouette flying in the distance. A smile creeps up her lips at the sight of Glafkos coming back to her, along with something hanging around his neck. At first, she thought it was the box she sent Glafkos out with earlier, but it’s tied with a different ribbon upon a closer look. She stretches out her arm for Glafkos to land on and feels her heart swell at the sight of the small box.

“Welcome back.” Athena mutters, patting his head. The owl gives her a nuzzle on the cheek before allowing her to untie the ribbon around his neck. “Is this her reply?” Glafkos hoots as an answer. “I almost thought it was the same box I sent.”

The greeting card stands out—it _really_ does, with the doodles on the corners and the bright red ink that Medusa used to write the message. Somehow, just touching the small piece of paper makes her feel like Medusa’s there, and it makes her chuckle. She can almost hear her voice reading the message out loud.

_To Athena_

_You should be sorry. I made these for you and I didn’t even know where you went off to or if you would even come home today at all. So rude. You’re gonna get an earful when you get back so better prepare yourself!_

_What you made wasn’t so bad. Why are you so afraid of adding more sugar though? I could barely taste it. Have a taste of mine and learn properly, silly owl._

_Happy Valentine’s Day, Athena._

_P.S. Who in their right mind writes a message on the back of a greeting card, you fool?_

“Ah... do people usually not do that?” Athena looks up at her owl, and tilts her head when she doesn’t get an answer. “Well, they do stick one side of the card, so I suppose that does make sense.”

Out of curiosity, Athena takes the card off and flips it around, wondering if it really was supposed to be left blank. But to her surprise, there’s an additional short message written in small letters.

_P.P.S. Me too._

Two words are enough to bring a smile to her face and it feels almost magical. She’s not used to sending greeting cards, but if this warmth bursting in her chest is how it feels like to send them out and receive some in return, she wants to treasure it. The skydwellers truly have some fascinating tradition when it comes down to connecting one another.

Sticking the card back to the lid, Athena opens the box and savors the sweet scent that comes out of it. She takes a smaller piece out for Glafkos, and the owl gleefully chomps down—he must be hungry after that trip, so she keeps in mind to properly feed him later. She picks another one up and pops it into her mouth, smile growing wider the more she can taste the sweetness of the chocolate on her tongue.

“It tastes like home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhhhhhchocolates

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading mwah mwah


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